It’s Time to Solve the Curse of Relocation within the Prefecture

Published in Ryukyu Shimpo
(Japan) on 19 June 2011
by (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Lynn Allmon. Edited by Emily Sicard.
The new developments in the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Base's plans for relocation to Nago City in Henoko have shaken America at its foundation.

The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee will incorporate a clause into the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 that would eliminate about $150 million (12 billion yen). This will eliminate the entire budget allotted for moving the U.S. forces in Okinawa to Guam, even though the Obama administration has pushed for the move. Also, the clause would prohibit later appropriations for the purpose of moving the U.S. forces to Guam.

During a bipartisan meeting concerning Okinawa relations, Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin said, "There were no objections.”* There is evidence that the U.S. Congress is realizing that the plan to move U.S. forces to Henoko, on which both the Japanese and U.S. government have agreed, is not feasible.

Sen. Levin pointed out about the current plan: "It is an illusion. There's no point in pretending to ourselves that we are going to implement plans which cannot be implemented." His speech hit the bull’s eye with this point.

Both the Japanese and U.S. administrations reaffirmed the Henoko relocation at the Japan-America Security Consultative Committee (2 + 2 Meeting), which opened in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 21. In a foolish move, both disregarded the wishes of Okinawa and the U.S. Congress to move the base out of the prefecture.

At the 2 + 2 Meeting, they decided on a V-shaped runway and an elliptical flight path for the new location at Henoko, but no matter how much they build up this house of cards, they are only wasting time.

Both the Japanese and U.S. administrations adhere to the current plan opposing the prefectural governor and the Nago City mayor and continue to run counter to the overwhelming popular will in Okinawa, which desires a relocation outside of the prefecture or country. Even without the acknowledgement of the U.S. Congress, the current plan's failure is clear to all. To start, in this eventful month, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who has announced his resignation, and both cabinet ministers appointed by the soon-to-resigned Prime Minister Naoto Kan are effectively running away from the infeasible Japan-America agreement. Are they not, then, deceiving both Japanese and American citizens?

On one hand, Sen. Levin advocates plans to consolidate military operations in Okinawa by moving them to Kaneda Air Base while emphasizing the financial savings, but do not be fooled by another illusion. Both the Japanese and the U.S. governments should have agreed to reduce the burden of the U.S. Air Force’s Kaneda Air Base, the largest in the Far East. The constant air traffic has created great problems with noise. Naturally, local opposition is strong. Besides this, the U.S. military has itself opposed the use of fixed wing and rotary wing aircrafts.

Both the Japanese and the U.S. administrations should stop pursuing illusions and break the spell of relocation within the prefecture. I would like them to confront the will of the people of Okinawa and look for a path to resolution.


*Editor’s Note: Quotes, accurately translated, could not be verified.


辺野古幻想発言 県内移設の呪縛を解く時だ2011年6月19日 このエントリーを含む delicious Yahoo!ブックマークに登録

 米国を新たな“震源地”に米軍普天間飛行場の名護市辺野古への移設計画が根底から揺らいでいる。
 米上院軍事委員会(レビン委員長)が、2012会計年度(11年10月~12年9月)の国防権限法案で、オバマ政権が求めた在沖米海兵隊のグアム移転費約1億5千万ドル(約120億円)を全額削除し、普天間移設問題について目に見える進展を議会に示さない限り、今後も予算計上を禁じる条項を盛り込んだ。
 レビン氏は、沖縄関連部分は超党派で協力し「異論はなかった」と言う。日米両政府が合意した辺野古移設を柱とする在日米軍再編計画について、実現性がないという認識が米議会内にも着実に広がっている証しだろう。
 レビン氏は現行計画について「幻想だ。履行できないにもかかわらず履行できるふりをすることは意味がない」と指摘した。この点に関しては正鵠(せいこく)を射た発言だ。
 日米両政府はワシントンで21日に開く外務、防衛担当閣僚による日米安全保障協議委員会(2プラス2)で、辺野古移設推進を再確認するが、沖縄や米議会の意向を無視し強行するのは愚行だ。
 2プラス2では、辺野古の代替施設のV字形滑走路や、楕円(だえん)形とする飛行経路を決定する予定だが、砂上の楼閣をいくら築いても、時間を浪費するだけだ。
 日米両政府は、知事や名護市長が反対する現行計画に固執し、県外・国外移設を求める沖縄の圧倒的な民意に背き続けてきた。米議会の指摘を待つまでもなく現行計画の破綻は誰の目にも明らかだ。そもそも、今月いっぱいで退任するゲーツ米国防長官と退陣表明をした菅直人首相が任命した両大臣が、実行不可能な日米合意を食い逃げ的に行うこと自体、日米双方の国民を欺くことにならないか。
 一方、レビン氏は嘉手納基地統合案を提唱するが、財政削減に重きを置くばかりに、別の幻想に惑わされていないか。極東最大の米空軍嘉手納基地は、日米両政府が負担軽減で合意したはずだが、外来機飛来の恒常化で一層の騒音激化を招いている。元来、地元の反発は根強く、固定翼機と回転翼機の一体運用に米軍自体が猛反対した経緯もある。
 日米両政府は「幻想」を追い求めるのはやめて、県内移設の呪縛を自ら解き放つべきだ。沖縄の民意に正面から向き合い、解決の道筋を探ってほしい。
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