At the relocation construction site of the U.S. military base Futenma off the coast of Henoko, Nago City, Okinawa, it has been learned that the location of the gate where construction vehicles enter and exit has been changed from the 11th.
The gate that had been used until now was close to a base where people opposed to the relocation were holding sit-ins, and traffic jams were often occurring, and Nago City was asking the government to take action.
In Henoko, Nago City, where Futenma Air Base is being relocated, construction vehicles were pulling in and out of a special gate along the national highway of Camp Schwab, which is adjacent to the site scheduled for reclamation.
Across the national highway from the dedicated gate, those opposed to the relocation have set up tents and staged sit-ins to prevent vehicles from entering, and have been a base for protest activities for many years.
Meanwhile, vehicles that could not enter were lining up on the roads, causing frequent traffic jams, and Nago City was requesting the national government to take action.
Under these circumstances, starting on the 11th, the government closed the dedicated gate that had been used so far and began using a new gate approximately 700 meters to the north as an entrance and exit for construction vehicles.
As mixer trucks arrived one after another at the new gate starting around 10 a.m., the scene became chaotic for a while as police forcibly removed people who had staged a sit-in to prevent the vehicles from entering.
The Okinawa Defense Bureau commented, ``In addition to ensuring the safety of construction workers and U.S. military personnel, Nago City requested further thorough measures against traffic congestion, so we decided to use the new gate.'' .