The local government people strongly oppose the Japanese government's insistence on continuing to advance the
relocation of the U.S. military base in Okinawa and then falling into disputes
On October 10th, local time, the Governor of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, Tamaki Dani, and the visiting Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsanobu held talks. The two sides discussed the relocation of the US military base in Futenma.
The governor of Okinawa Prefecture, Tamashiro Dani, said: “We strongly urge the Japanese central government to eliminate the huge security hazard of Futenma Base as soon as possible.” Japan’s new Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu insisted that the new Japanese government will continue its efforts to promote cooperation with the US military in Japan. Relevant cooperation, moved the base to the Bennoko area in Okinawa Prefecture, and requested Okinawa to cooperate.
The two sides refused to make concessions, and their differences were brought to the table again.
The contradiction has a long history
According to Japanese media reports, in June of this year, the Ministry of Defense of Japan announced its decision to restart the construction of the ancient base in the border field that was interrupted by the epidemic.
In this regard, the Governor of Okinawa Prefecture Tamaki Dani expressed "extremely regretful".
This time, Katsunobu Kato visited the U.S. military base at Futenma, emphasizing the advancement of the relocation project of Benno, and continued the proposition that the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has consistently insisted that "the old Benno base is the only solution to the Futenma airport problem."
The problem of the relocation of US military bases in Okinawa has a long history.
In 2006, Japan and the United States reached an agreement and decided to relocate the base to the coastal area of the Schwab Military Camp in Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture.
However, due to strong protests from local people, the plan has been shelved.
For a long time, U.S. troops stationed in Okinawa have seen frequent incidents of crimes, falling objects, and noise disturbing the citizens.
"The Okinawa prefectural government and citizens do not want to be threatened by war. Because as long as the US garrison remains stationed in Okinawa Prefecture, once a war breaks out, Okinawa Prefecture will inevitably be involved in the war." Zhou Yongsheng, a professor at the Institute of International Relations of the China Foreign Affairs University, accepted this. During the interview, the newspaper analyzed that the US troops stationed in Okinawa were slack, and they often molested women and disrupted public security.
On the other hand, Okinawa Prefecture does not have any right to govern the US military.
The people of Okinawa County deeply feel the insult to their dignity and the troubles caused by the extraterritoriality of the US military, and want to fundamentally eliminate the presence of the US military in Okinawa.
In the face of Okinawa public opinion, the Japanese government has repeatedly chosen to ignore it.
In December 2018, despite the strong opposition of the people of Okinawa, the Japanese government forcibly poured sand and soil into the sea area where the military base was planned to be relocated to carry out land reclamation operations.
According to an earlier report by Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao, Japan’s Okinawa county once held a referendum on the relocation of the US military’s Futenma base. The results showed that more than 70% of the people opposed it.
However, on the second day of the referendum, the ancient land reclamation project in Bianye continued.
Status cannot be replaced
The US Army Futenma Base is located in the densely populated Ginowan City of Okinawa Prefecture. It is the largest armed helicopter airport for the US Marine Corps in Japan.
"For the United States, the strategic value of Okinawa is very significant." Zhou Yongsheng pointed out that Okinawa County is located on the extension line between the island of Kyushu in Japan and Taiwan, and is militarily located in the arc-shaped island chain of East Asia.
U.S. troops stationed in Okinawa not only tried to control China's entry and exit from the key areas of the Western Pacific, but also extended southward to cover Southeast Asia and the South China Sea, and extended northward to the Korean Peninsula, thereby maintaining its hegemony in East Asia.
Why does the Japanese central government insist on keeping the US military base in Okinawa?
Zhou Yongsheng analyzed that, first of all, it was in response to the request of the United States to cooperate with its East Asian strategy.
Secondly, it is also for Japan's own safety.
The deployment of US forces in Okinawa Prefecture is conducive to mobile defense and mobile offensive in East Asia.
"Okinawa's position in military strategy is currently unreplaceable in other places."
The future is still unpredictable
Over the years, protests against the establishment of military bases in Okinawa have occurred from time to time.
In January 2019, more than 30 Japanese-Americans rallied in front of the White House in the United States to demonstrate, demanding that land reclamation projects be stopped.
The organizer of the rally also launched an electronic signature petition on the White House website to stop reclamation.
With fierce opposition from the Okinawa local government and people, the Japanese central government made some concessions.
According to Japan’s Kyodo News Agency, at the end of 2019, Japanese government officials stated that Japan had decided to postpone the relocation date of the Futenma U.S. military base in Okinawa from the original 5 years to 10 years later, that is, after 2030.
"There is no final schedule for the return of Futenma Base to Okinawa. It depends on the progress of the construction of the Bianye Ancient New Base." Zhou Yongsheng said, "When the new base will be built is still unknown."
Yan Yuwen