By Smartencyclopedia Staff & Agencies
Japan has commenced construction work to relocate a US military base within Okinawa province, a move that has sparked controversy and faced strong objections from the local provincial government and native population. The construction began on Wednesday, in defiance of the opposition, following a court order obtained by the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi acknowledged the challenging nature of the relocation, stating that reinforcing the soft ground at the new site for the US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma is expected to “likely take more than nine years,” according to Tokyo-based Kyodo News.
The decision to proceed with construction comes despite the objections raised by the provincial government in southern Japan, which has been a longstanding opponent of the relocation. Okinawa currently hosts the majority of US military facilities in Japan, and residents have consistently expressed their discontent with the presence of the military base. Their demands have been centered around urging the government to move the base out of the province.
Under a bilateral defense pact established at the end of World War II in 1945, more than 50,000 US soldiers were deployed in Japan. The current US base is situated in a densely populated residential district in Ginowan, and the Japanese government aims to relocate it to the less populated Henoko coastal area of Nago, as per an agreement signed in 1996.
The government’s plan involves reclaiming land off Henoko to construct two V-shaped runways for the use of the US military. Landfill work commenced in 2018 in the southern part of Henoko, but progress faced setbacks in 2020 when the Defense Ministry sought design changes in Oura Bay due to soft ground issues. The larger portion of the new site’s construction was stalled as local authorities did not approve the new plan, leading to opposition from residents.
In response to these challenges, the court issued an ultimatum last month, instructing the Okinawa government to approve the new plan within three working days. Failure to comply would empower the Kishida government to implement the court order. Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki defied the court order, denouncing the move as “unacceptable” and accusing the Kishida government of infringing on the province’s autonomy and independence.
The relocation of the US military base remains a contentious issue, reflecting the ongoing tensions between the national government’s strategic priorities and the concerns and desires of the local population in Okinawa.