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

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.