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2014 February 5 - 11 [OKINAWA]

Protests against new base construction should be strictly controlled: Okinawan LDP lawmaker

Okinawa-based Liberal Democratic Party Upper House member Shimajiri Aiko on February 5 demanded aggressive control by maritime security and police authorities over protests against the new U.S. base construction in the Henoko district in Nago City.

At a House Budget Committee meeting Shimajiri said that the government should take measures to restrain anti-base protests from even talking about “belligerent behavior” even before they may actually engage in such behavior.

Even though she promised to move the U.S. Futenma base (Ginowan City) to outside Okinawa in her election campaign, the LDP lawmaker is now calling for the completion of a base relocation to Henoko without delay.

Attacking Nago Mayor Inamine Susumu who won his second term in the January mayoral election by pledging to oppose the new base construction, Shimajiri said, “I know that the mayor is free to express his opposition to the base construction. However, it will just lead to a continuation of political chaos.”

The Okinawan lawmaker criticized Inamine’s election promise to use his authority to block the state government’s attempt to reclaim areas off Henoko as “abuse of mayoral authority.”