Okinawa files fresh lawsuit to halt U.S. base relocation

Onaga represents the majority of his people, unlike many Japanese politicians who only represent a few.

FACT: He represents less than 1/3 of the voting population in Okinawa, which means 2/3rd's are against him!

No, he represents all the people of Okinawa, though maybe only 1/3 of them actually chose him. But either way he's the elected representative of the prefecture.

Okinawa is a small island that makes up 0.6% of the land mass of Japan but hosts over 70% of U.S. Military Facilities which equals to the burden of Okinawa being 400% greater than Mainland Japan when it comes to hosting U.S. Military Facilities. When the U.S. Military built these bases, they took a lot more land than they actually needed because they didn't care about how the people of Okinawa had to live or about the Quality of Life of the people of Okinawa and the same is true today except that the J-Govt. has joined the U.S. Military in not caring about the Quality of Life of the people of Okinawa. The U.S. Military created Post-WWII Okinawa in a way that gave Military Personnel and their families large areas of some of the best land on Okinawa to live on and built bases that were more like U.S. cities than Military Bases with Housing,Dependent Schools, Golf Courses, Tennis Courts, Swimming Pools, Bowling Centers, Clubs, etc. For over 70 years the people of Okinawa have been sacrificing their Quality of Life in order for U.S. Military and their families to enjoy the Quality of Life that they have on Okinawa. But neither the U.S. Military or the Japanese Govt. appreciates the sacrifices that the people of Okinawa have made and now they want them to sacrifice their ocean. After all of the pain and suffering that the U.S. Military and the J-Govt. have inflicted on the people of Okinawa and after all of the sacrifices that the people of Okinawa have made, you would think that the U.S. and Japan would at least grant the people of Okinawa this one request and not build that facility on the Ocean.

If two islands can be created for the Kansai airport, then any island big enough to accommodate the US military can be built near Okinawa. Jobs, jobs, jobs, for Japan. Leave all the dependent on Okinawa and restrict the new island/base to military personnel. Also, sink all the surplus ships around the island (after cleansing) to create artificial reefs.

Narita International Airport sets the precedents for what the GOJ can do with eminent domain and that was with private land.

William Bjornson, Aloha, Oregon,

Thank you. It's so encouraging to read such a comment by an American.

CrucialIS,

Okinawa is completely different from other prefectures in Japan because the island and the people were given to the U.S. Military to do whatever they wanted to do to them. The Japanese Govt. abandoned the people of Okinawa. While Mainland Japan was enjoying the Tokyo Olympics,the economic boom of the 60's, the Osaka World Expo in 1970, the people of Okinawa were under the control of the U.S. Military and not allowed to be a part of those things.

In the summer of 1968, my U.S. Army Unit had a cookout at the old Ishikawa Beach which was a Military Beach. While we were cooking our food, there were about 50 men, women and children lined up along the fence that surrounded the beach with their hands reaching through the fence asking for food. That was in 1968, 4 years after the Tokyo Olympics and while Japan was becoming the World's 2nd largest economy.

Okinawa is different from other prefectures and because of their treatment by the GOJ and the sacrifices they have made for Mainland Japan they deserve to have large budgets. Okinawa owes Mainland Japan nothing but Mainland Japan owes Okinawa a lot more than they have done for it so far.

I agree with all those who want the U.S. bases to close and leave Japan, and South Korea and Europe! Enough is Enough! We the U.S.A. has carried the burden too long. Bring out military home. I will enjoy watching S.E. Asia deal with the Chinese and a resurgent Russia! Good Bye!

Why doesn't Japan simply create an artificial island, much like the Chinese did. Then the US Military in Okinawa can relocate to that, and then the Okinawans can complain about that it, along with the Chinese. The best thing the US could do is to make an announcement that they are leaving Japan totally and wish Japan the best of luck in defending itself.

If this could be the one-more-and-final-hit on the sinking Abe-Ship , we here in Okinawa will celebrate a double win.

No, he represents all the people of Okinawa, though maybe only 1/3 of them actually chose him. But either way he's the elected representative of the prefecture.

Yes, he is the elected official but in this case, his policies and actions are only supported by the 1/3 that voted him in.

He ran off of a "No Henoko" platform and nothing else. Yet no record numbers had been drawn to the polls in his election or any election since. In fact, participation was slightly below average.

Since his victory, he's taken several huge losses to pro relocation/LDP candidates. His only notable win as governor was Iha Yoichi taking the upper house seat.

Mass protests draw more outside the prefecture support than internal involvement. If he's got the support of 1.4 million residents, where are they at during these protests? Where are they during these mayoral and city council elections?

Yubaru,

Thank you for straightening up the matter. No fishermen, either in Henoko or in Nago, make Oura Bay their fishing ground in actuality. But they were given fishing rights to engage in fishing and fish farming there by the prefectural government.

Enter the central government, negotiating directly and, I think, illegally with the fishermen to give up their fishing rights in exchange for an enormous amount of bribe money. You must agree with me in seeing there's something fishy here. Thus, the central government's contention that the fishermen have already relinquished their fishing rights is simply shenanigans.

Maybe it is because I have been on Okinawa for such a long time that I am not one of those people who think that the people of Okinawa should always be on their knees with their heads bowed to the Japanese Govt. and the U.S. Military. When the Central Govt. is wrong as they are in this case, the govt. of Okinawa should fight them just like prefectures do against Nuclear Power plants etc. It is not absolutely necessary for the replacement for MCAS Futenma to be built on the ocean at Camp Schwab. There are other places on Okinawa that it could be built such as Camp Hansen which has a lot of open space, IE Shima where there is aready a runway used by the Military and Kadena Air Base which has two runways one of which is used by the U.S. Navy and Marine Aircraft. The reason it is being built at Henoko is because of the U.S. demands that the facility not be just a 1 for 1 replacement but that the new facility have new capabilities that MCAS Futenma doesn't have such as the ability for a ship to berth there.

For people who say that the Govt. of Okinawa should cooperate with the Central Govt. to keep those budgets large, Okinawa deserves those large budgets whether they host U.S. Bases or not. The Japanese Govt. gave the island and people of Okinawa to the U.S. Military to do whatever they wanted to do. Making sure that Okinawa has the best infrastructure and quality of life for the people is what the Japanese Govt. owes the people of Okinawa regardless of how they feel about U.S. Military Facilities.

Okinawa does not "host" the 70 year U.S. military occupation, it is a victim of it. Given what the Okinawans suffered in their VERY patriotic sacrifices defending the 'home' islands during the Taiheiyosenso, the central government is psychopathic in their disregard of the rights of these valiant and passionate people. Okinawa 'owes' Japan nothing. Japan owes the Okinawans more that they can repay and, now, continues to abuse these people with cowardly and disrespectful disdain. It is way past time that the U.S. end its occupation of Nihon and, truth be told, is in more danger now than if the U.S. were not there at all. America will use Japan as a 'tool' against China and it will be the Nihonjin who pay the worst price if there is open hostility.

If left alone, Nihon would come to its own terms with its neighbors and, despite the past, China will not 'punish' Nihon for doing to China what China itself has done to the Chinese People in the past. Nihon is in an excellent position to adopt a policy similar to Switzerland in Europe but remains highly vulnerable to destruction not in spite of American occupation and manipulation but because of it. I, myself, am exUSMC and an American who cannot be anything else but an American. But, I also respect Nihon and its singular culture and would prefer it not be destroyed by American greed for power and profit at the expense of all those around it which has been our history. The people of Okinawa would be better off without the Americans OR the Japanese who show no respect for the people of Okinawa's past devotion to their survival. The Japanese bend to the American whip.

There are many cogent statements here regarding Okinawan rights and also profound conscienceless more appropriate to the trumpthug mentality which sees only the value of what they can take from people and has no value whatsoever for the people themselves. Again, this is the very definition of a clinical psychopath. Abe is an American tool and would lead Nihon down the blood drenched path of militarism and nationalistic fascism. The 'conspiracy' law is more than ample evidence of this desire, a step upon that path. It is time that Nihon no longer be a colony dominated by insane users who care nothing for the Nihonjin as we see here. I would very much like to restore my own pride in America and in myself as an American but that will not happen before I am called offplanet. But, perhaps, freeing Nihon from our dominance to pursue its own destiny could. That is my hope for Nippon, free and proud not in their ability to dominate others but in their ability to dominate themselves and direct themselves to building a more humane world for all of us. They have it in them what we, in America, have lost. Humanity. And this shines out nowhere more that in the People of Okinawa. Let these People go!

Schopenhauer, it Okinawa or the Ryuku Kingdom gain its independence. We would close all of the US bases on our lands and make peace with China.

The OPG's legal argument is weak. This one will be settled very quickly.

GOJ: 2

OPG: 0

Onaga doesn't get re-elected and finally the OPG stops holding the prefecture hostage and stringing its' people along

No to mention that he has no problem with destroying the reefs around Naha Airport for the new runway, doesn't mind the landfill projects all over the island that destroyed prime fishing areas near the beaches, from north to south, and countless other projects that have had a negative effect on the environment.

They just dont see their own hypocrisy.

Yubaru,

FACT: The fishermen gave up their rights long ago.

That's an interpretation by the central government, a dubious one, I think. Yes, the fishermen agreed upon relinquishing their fishery rights, as you say. But they did so because the central government promised them compensaions by paying the association 5.4 million dollars in cash (a blatant bribe!). 

Is that a legitimate procedure for the national government to follow? Besides, as I asked above, can the central government have the right to negotiate with individual fishery associations over the head of the OPG which has absolute jurisdiction over such matters?

Yubaru,

What YOU think is illegal and what is illegal are obviously two different things.

sshotI can throw back the same  to you: "What you think is legal and what is legal are obviously two different things."

Tell me then why you think the central government's giving compensations, aka bribes, in the amount of 5.4 million dollars directly to a local fishery association (a private entity) to have them relinquish their fishing rights to the said Henoko coastal waters. Remember that it is the OPG that has absolute jurisdiction over such matters as permitting fishery rights or not.

the best thing for Onaga is that the Japanese Govt. cut all funding for Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands.

No thank you, we've been through that when Ota Masahide was the gov. Okinawa got hit twice as hard after the bubble burst, first the national economy went in the toilet, then our economy here, already hurt by the after math of the bubble, got hurt even worse, because Ota was a one topic Gov. Much like Onaga.

We went into a recession here that lasted well over a decade. It was thanks to pragmatic Gov's that realized working with the national government benefited everyone in Okinawa.

What a lot of people choose to overlook is that slowly but surely, and yes it's taking time, but land is being returned, bases are closing, and the infrastructure here is improving by leaps and bounds because of Onaga's predecessors.

Onaga looks to take Okinawa back to the dark ages, the tourism industry and IT sectors are flourishing because of the infrastructure improvements and money put into it from budgets from the national govermnent, not because of anything Onaga has done.

DocCarlos- Maybe we wouldn't be in this situation today if the us military didn't look down upon the Okinawan people.

The point at issue here is whether the Okinawa prefectural government can file a fresh lawsuit against the central government, saying crashing of rock on the sea bed of Oura Bay is illegal without the OPG's permission for the fishery rights of relevant fishermen haven't vanished as yet.. 

On the other hand, the central government contends that the fishermen's fishing rights in the temporary off-limits area (561 ha) in Oura Bay have already vanished for the Nago Fishery Association, the body to which Henoko fishermen belong, agreed with the central government to relinquish their fishing rights.

At first glance, it seems the central government stands to their advantage in legal terms. But there are some moot questions that must be clarified here.

First, can the central government negotiate directly with local fishery associations to give up their fishery rights precluding the prefectural government that has the executive and legal jurisdiction over such matters? Second, is it legitimate for the central government to get the fishermen's agreement in exchange for 5.4 million dollars as compensations, aka, bribe money?

But, above anything else, isn't it illegitimate and high treason for the central government to provide bases with a foreign army as if they were concessions in 19th-century China?

Okinawa is not part of Japan nor part of USA therefore the voice of the Ryukyuan people should reign supreme.

Onaga is 100% right to not allow further destruction of the environment which is already ravaged by the seepage of toxic agent orange in our underwater streams.

This forceful occupation of Okinawa by the Amerikano colonizer despite the never ending protests makes the Ryukyu the official Crimea of Asia.

Abe should respect Onaga because his voice represents the heart and soul of Okinawa.

That's an interpretation by the central government, a dubious one, I think. Yes, the fishermen agreed upon relinquishing their fishery rights, as you say. But they did so because the central government promised them compensaions by paying the association 5.4 million dollars in cash (a blatant bribe!). 

They have been compensated and they are laughing all the way to the bank. The majority of fishermen who received the payments have never nor would have ever fished in that area anyway. They got it because they are in the city of Nago, which the Henoko district lies in, thus their association holding the rights.

NO fishermen from Nago travel around the northern tip of Okinawa just to fish in Ourawan Bay, no one fishes there commercially.

You only call it a bribe because you didnt get your share.

But they were given fishing rights to engage in fishing and fish farming there by the prefectural government.

Enter the central government, negotiating directly and, I think, illegally with the fishermen to give up their fishing rights in exchange for an enormous amount of bribe money. You must agree with me in seeing there's something fishy here. Thus, the central government's contention that the fishermen have already relinquished their fishing rights is simply shenanigans.

What YOU think is illegal and what is illegal are obviously two different things. There was no behind the door dealings with the fishermen and their collective, everyone knew about it, including the prefectural government,

But I see you didn't, well no biggie, there was nothing fishy about it, and Onaga is just pulling at straws.

Onaga represents the majority of his people

perhaps, but nobody outside of Okinawa gives a rip about them and they are only 2% of the Japanese population = no political clout and no voice and irrelevant

A shock treatment is needed. America declares Japan they withdraw their forces from Japan. Then, for the first time Japanese will think about seriously about their future. If not they will remain childish forever.

Independent republic of Okinawa. So easy.

Not a single person in uniform stationed in Japan looks down on the people hosting them. Take your ridiculous slander somewhere else JWTNSSN. Both Okinawans and American service members are great friends and enjoy their shared community, only the minority outlier wackos have a problem.

Okinawa deserves those large budgets whether they host U.S. Bases or not. 

I love Okinawa but that sounds ridiculous. Outside Okinawa's of strategic location and hosting of bases the prefecture offers very little to Japan especially in regards to the Japanese economy. With the bases they deserve a large budget. Without the bases they deserve a budget directly proportional to the impact they have in the country's economy.

Onaga represents the majority of his people, unlike many Japanese politicians who only represent a few.

FACT: He represents less than 1/3 of the voting population in Okinawa, which means 2/3rd's are against him!

OPG's permission for the fishery rights of relevant fishermen haven't vanished as yet.. 

FACT: The fishermen gave up their rights long ago.

FACT: No fishermen fish in that area, and have not for decades.

FACT: It's just another ploy by Onaga, and he will lose once again.

Onaga is a glutton for punishment and poor politician as well.

AND, Onaga goes back on his word yet again.

Hiro Nobumasa: "Onaga is 100% right to not allow further destruction of the environment which is already ravaged by the seepage of toxic agent orange in our underwater streams."

He didn't seem to mind destroying the environment on Ishigaki for an airport. Why the double standard if he actually cares? Or you, for that matter? Oh, wait, you probably didn't know or care about that. Just proving a point!

In any case, the longer the relocation is postponed, the longer the bases stay where they are. So, those people complaining about noise, direct it to Onaga.

Onaga agreed to abide by the decision of the court prior to the decision being handed down in the previous case. He lost.

Now he is filing another complaint with the courts.

Onaga lied, he has no plans to abide by anything. He will lose again, and again and again. And all he is doing is wasting public money on useless and basically trivial lawsuits.

Okinawa reversion was a mistake. Please go independent. We do not want any more trouble about Okinawa.

the best thing for Onaga is that the Japanese Govt. cut all funding for Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands.

Give the Okinawans their freedom from Japan, and make Okinawa have their own currency also backed by sugar cane and pineapples and Chinese tourists. China will give Onaga all the money he wants just to get the US Military off Okinawa and then they can sail their Chinese warships in and out of Naha at will. They will take the disputed islands, They will take payments to Onaga as he want s to build Chinese bases with Missiles and offensive weapons for the preparation for the Invasion of Taiwan and the securing of the South China sea and stop all shipping through the area. Thus cutting the sea lanes for Japanese and world shipping.

The communists are very strong as the 1/3 who voted for Onaga are Communists and want to overthrow the Japanese Govt. and American defense of japan.

May these communists live with the Scourge of Onaga trump