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2013 December 4 - 10 [OKINAWA]

Okinawa governor reaffirms his commitment to have US base relocated out of Okinawa

Okinawa Governor Nakaima Hirokazu on December 5 reaffirmed his commitment to press the Japanese and U.S. governments to move the U.S. Futenma base out of Okinawa and to promptly return the base site to Okinawa.

He made this commitment anew in response to the demand by all political parties, with the exception of the Liberal Democratic Party, during prefectural assembly sessions held on December 4 and 5 where they demanded the cancellation of the state plan to relocate the Futenma base in Okinawa.

The central government is, in a way, threatening Okinawa by arguing that if the construction of a new base in the Henoko district in Nago City falls through as a replacement for the U.S. Marine Corps Futemna Air Station in Ginowan City, the Futenma base will continue to operate in Ginowan.

Japanese Communist Party member of the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly Toguchi Osamu encouraged the governor to stand firm on his commitment by saying, “Do not give in to the central government threat, and maintain your courageous stance to reject the request from above for the reclamation for the new base construction.”

Governor Nakaima responded by saying that he will stick to his commitment as the out-of-Okinawa relocation is the promise he made with prefectural people.