Mr. Onaga Takeshi, Governor of Okinawa Prefecture, had a person-to-person talk with Mr. Suga Yoshihide, the Chief Cabinet Secretary of Mr. Abe's Government, on the proposed transfer of the US Air Base at Hutemma to Henoko in the same main Okinawa Island, on 5 April, when Suga visited Okinawa. It was the first time Onaga had a talk with a key figure of the present Government since his election in last November, suggesting the latter's unwillingness to do so. Onaga, as was mentioned before in these columns, defeated the sitting Governor almost on the single issue of his opposition to the above transfer by a large margin. Here are some of what he told Suga.
"Okinawa represents only 0.6 % of Japan's total land space, but 74 % of the US bases are here. I would like to stress that Okinawa has never offered those bases on her own will. They have all been forcefully appropriated. Okinawa was under the US military rule for 27 years, as if to exchange for Japan proper's independence(actually Japan itself was under the occupation for seven years out of those 27), and Japan prospered during that time. And now, since Hutemma is the most dangerous base in the world, as a former Defence Secretary Ramsfeld said, we are asked to offer some other place as its substitute. We are asked if we have any other alternative. Is it not degeneration of Japanese politics?
"Such an attitude on the part of the Government overlaps the authoritarian image of Mr. Carraway, a former US High Commissioner before the return of Okinawa(in office 1961-4), who famously said that the self-government for Okinawa was a myth. Is it the case of either Hutemma or Henoko? Either A or B? I have a strong conviction that it is absolutely impossible to build a base at the latter. But is the Hutemma base going to be there permanently if there can be no base at Henoko?
"There has been only one issue throughout the last year's elections to the Mayor of Nago(where Henoko is located), Governor, and the year-end General Elections to the Lower House, namely whether to agree to the reclamation for the construction of the new base approved by my predecessor the former Governor. The reason of my victory by 100,000 votes was due to this very issue.
"In view of the recent development of the weaponry, one or two missiles would put the American bases in danger. Are we not detaining them here in the name of the deterrence while they themselves want to go away? And are not those bases being used to deploy the US forces to Asia and the Middle East?
Opinion polls show that the overwhelming majority in Okinawa are supporting the Governor's stand. Even then, the US Defence Secretary and his Japanese counterpart have agreed to go ahead with the transfer programme in their talks in Tokyo on 8 April. No ears to listen!
"Okinawa represents only 0.6 % of Japan's total land space, but 74 % of the US bases are here. I would like to stress that Okinawa has never offered those bases on her own will. They have all been forcefully appropriated. Okinawa was under the US military rule for 27 years, as if to exchange for Japan proper's independence(actually Japan itself was under the occupation for seven years out of those 27), and Japan prospered during that time. And now, since Hutemma is the most dangerous base in the world, as a former Defence Secretary Ramsfeld said, we are asked to offer some other place as its substitute. We are asked if we have any other alternative. Is it not degeneration of Japanese politics?
"Such an attitude on the part of the Government overlaps the authoritarian image of Mr. Carraway, a former US High Commissioner before the return of Okinawa(in office 1961-4), who famously said that the self-government for Okinawa was a myth. Is it the case of either Hutemma or Henoko? Either A or B? I have a strong conviction that it is absolutely impossible to build a base at the latter. But is the Hutemma base going to be there permanently if there can be no base at Henoko?
"There has been only one issue throughout the last year's elections to the Mayor of Nago(where Henoko is located), Governor, and the year-end General Elections to the Lower House, namely whether to agree to the reclamation for the construction of the new base approved by my predecessor the former Governor. The reason of my victory by 100,000 votes was due to this very issue.
"In view of the recent development of the weaponry, one or two missiles would put the American bases in danger. Are we not detaining them here in the name of the deterrence while they themselves want to go away? And are not those bases being used to deploy the US forces to Asia and the Middle East?
Opinion polls show that the overwhelming majority in Okinawa are supporting the Governor's stand. Even then, the US Defence Secretary and his Japanese counterpart have agreed to go ahead with the transfer programme in their talks in Tokyo on 8 April. No ears to listen!
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