the defeat of Tamaki, a man who symbolizes the opposition to the US base

In the local elections the governor lost the majority: “A very difficult position.” The central government has started work on the new Henoko base since January, despite protests from residents. Regarding the US base, the local prefectural assembly has been divided exactly in half.

Rome (/Agencies) – After the elections that were held yesterday in the assembly of the prefecture of Okinawa, in the Ryūkyū archipelago, the extreme south of Japan, the new composition of the 48 seats leaves the governor’s supporters in the minority Denny Tamaki, staunch opponent of the construction of the new US military base in the Henoko area, Nago, where work began in 2018. Almost 20 seats were won by candidates close to Tamaki, 27 by the opposition and 1 by a neutral candidate . Regarding the new base, the assembly has been divided in half: 24 are against, like Tamaki, and 24 are in favor.

Tamaki, and before him Takeshi Onaga, a critic of the alliance between Japan and the United States, questions the transfer of the “historic” Futenma base to another town located in the same archipelago. For some time now, it has given voice to the population’s discontent due above all to the noise generated by planes and the presence of tens of thousands of American soldiers, which also brought an increase in violence and crime. Last September, during a session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, he argued that the concentration of military bases threatens peace. Okinawa, which makes up about 1 percent of Japan’s land area, is home to more than 70 percent of U.S. military forces.

Danny Tamaki told reporters yesterday in Naha, capital of Okinawa prefecture, that he will take the election result seriously, although he admitted that “he will be forced to face a very difficult situation,” according to the newspaper. Kyodo. Voter turnout was the lowest ever recorded: 45.62%, according to the local electoral committee.

The southern island prefecture – two thousand kilometers from Tokyo and three hundred from Taiwan – was returned to Japan in 1972, 20 years after Japan regained sovereignty following defeat in World War II. Many Okinawans have long hoped that the base will be moved out of the prefecture. But the protests were not heard. Indeed, the central government continues to adhere to the Henoko development plan that was decided in 1996, stating that it is “the only solution” to not undermine the deterrence guaranteed by the security alliance between Japan and the United States. The US military base is, in fact, considered a priority, given the remote location of the archipelago and its proximity to China.

From Tokyo, Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi did not comment on the election result but guaranteed his support for the project, whose construction continues to advance. Last February, Denny Tamaki also met with the newly elected Minister of Defense, Minoru Kihara, a meeting that once again highlighted the divergent opinion between the central government and the residents of the prefecture.