Gov't under pressure to fire defense official over Okinawa election request

If they put some oil on it, the revolving door will spin more smoothly.

Ah the hypocritical LDP and Komeito. It was the JCP which uncovered this, as they did the secret agreements on weapons at the reversion of Okinawa. The LDP, like much of the DPJ consists of ultra conservatives and "yes men" who say yes to American militarism. As we see with Tepco's Tohoku crimes, it is convenient for the LDP to bash the DPJ on its handling of things, but the fact is the LDP and DPJ have both long been in the pockets of Tepco. Edano was a major recipient of Tepco funds, but so were LDP politicians, and both promote the same pro business policies. No different on the question of US bases....they both trumpet how they welcome the US here to protect this nation, while the US uses bases here in part to wage war and to make things less safe by encouraging saber rattling from NK that would not be there if we did not have OUR nuclear weapons trained on them.

Check out Japan Focus for lots of historical documents on how this works.....

Okinawa, Tohoku....in whose interest does this government and most of the so-called "opposition" endeavor?

Here are the facts, from the Japan Press Service:

Moderator: The URL will suffice.

The links:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Japan-Press-Weekly/184203278283357

A few articles down, starting with: "The Okinawa Defense Bureau has allegedly interfered......

And, one of the few mainstream articles to get it right: Defense chats in Okinawa said lobbying http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120203a3.html

Stop the base! The U.S. Government plans on filling in a coral reef and Dugong habitat to create a runway. This is insanity! One of the most beautiful places on the planet and the U.S. Government plans on destroying this valuable habitat regardless of local opposition. I find this disgraceful at a time when our oceans are suffering so terribly from the hand of man not to mention the local people have a right to protect their shorelines.

Unless I am missing something, this is insane.

Telling people to vote=wonderful

Coercing people who to vote for=criminal

Sounds to me like the did the former. So, somebody hates representative democracy and it does not seem Manabe!

Read the Japan Times article. It was, in fact, coercion, not so skillfully cloaked as encouragement. The article makes this plain. And it is standard operating procedure for the Japanese govt. It is NOT a slip up by a local employee.

And yes, as Kirsten says, closing the bases is what is needed. The Okinawan people are always bribed and coerced to host alf the US military in Japan, as they have one of the worst economies. The same way people in rural areas are bribed and coerced to accept nuclear plants. People at the lowest rung are always at the mercy of the bureaucrats/big business. That is why the recent book documenting Tepco use of Yakuza to hire day laborers is relevant. As is the song Human Error by punk band Frying Dutchman: .they make plain that the government will stop at nothing to brainwash people into thinking we need it, be it U.S. bases or nuclear plants.

And they make it plain that we almost always fail to learn what is important from the media. The above article is a case in point, whereas the Japan Times article does make it clear that this was a case of coercion. (Japan Times reporters are not members of the obedient Kisha club I have heard).

Get the petitions to sign up and reserve your environments No more destruction please!!

Read the Japan Times article. It was, in fact, coercion, not so skillfully cloaked as encouragement.

I DID read the article, and this part was telling:

Manabe is also quoted as saying that he "was not in a position to tell the officials to vote for a specific candidate," and that he also warned officials to be careful to maintain an impartial stance.

"We must be politically neutral when it comes to elections, so please pay attention to make sure that you do not violate, or are not viewed as violating, the Self-Defense Forces Law or other related laws," Manabe was quoted as saying. "Please also be careful when consulting your relatives (over the Ginowan vote)."

Here's what I see. An official gives a couple of talks to the people under him outlining the platforms of the two candidates, then tells them he is NOT telling them who to vote for. Did he misrepresent the candidate's platforms? If not then what has he done that would warrant being fired over? The employees have no pressure to vote one way or another unless this director-general gets to view each vote before it's cast. I don't think even Japan would allow that to happen.