politics

Opponents of U.S. base transfer keep majority in Okinawa assembly

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Candidates opposed to the relocation of the base from a crowded residential area of Ginowan to a less populated coastal district in Nago won 15 seats in the 26-member assembly. The remaining 11 elected were supportive of the relocation or did not clarify their position.

Right, keep one thing in mind here not reported in this article;

One the ruling party, backed by the mayor, won 13 seats, the opposition won 12. And was one neutral party winner. The article does not point our that two of the ruling party candidates that won are from the Komeito party and while they traditionally vote with the LDP they are opposed, here in Okinawa, to the base relocation to Henoko. Also people are assuming that the neutral candidate that won will vote with the anti-base group, it's not a given either.

So, it is not a clear cut victory for the opposition, as the Komeito candidates will often times vote on their own accord which would give the mayoral backed candidates a majority in many issues. Even one's related to the bases.

https://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/entry-800262.html

名護】米軍普天間飛行場の名護市辺野古への移設の是非を争点に全国的に注目を集めた名護市議選(定数26)は9日投開票され、移設を事実上容認している渡具知武豊市長を支える与党が13人、移設に反対する野党が12人、中立1人との結果となった。改選前は少数与党だったが、野党が1議席を失ったのに対し、与党は現有議席を維持した。ただ、与党の公明2人を含む15人が移設に反対しており、反対派が過半数を占める状況は変わらなかった。

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Base transfer? Occupation.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Oh and an update here, NHK news tonight even called the results an even split between the ruling (LDP) and opposition parties, so the article here is passing along misguided and biased information that is inaccurate.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Don’t bite the hand that feeds..

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Yubaru, how dare you attempt to discredit the hard fought opposition party results in this election and the obvious will of the people with the actual full reporting that Kyodo forgot to include! It obvious that if we look through the lens that kyodo and several media outlets carefully design... the overwhelming majority of Okinawans are anti-base!

I hope you picked up on my sarcasm. Thanks for the information, cant wait to see what the self proclaimed voice and Japan4Life have to say.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I'm very curious how he plans to tie in the irrelevant Futenma sits on stolen land piece that everyone will no longer acknowledge.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

CyburneticTiger,

There're people anywhere who favor dumpling over flower as a Japanese proverb says: the people more interested in immediate profits than an ultimate prosperity for the posterity. 

There is a very strange and queer system in Japan called "U.S. Military Transformation Subsidy" (米軍再編交付金), in which municipalities that host U.S. bases are granted special governmental aids in proportion to how much they host U.S. bases. 

The grant was frozen during the administration of Susumu Inamine, a former anti-relocation mayor. But when the pro-relocation candidate, Taketoyo Toguchi, won the mayoral election defeating Inamine, the central government took no time to announce that it would resume the grant in the amount of 3 billion yen.

As such, the central government made every effort to stifle Nago's economy whereby some voters voted for candidates who appealed how beneficial it was to cooperate with the central government.   

Under such circumstances, I think the Henoko opposition camp did well by keeping seats 15 vs. 11. Note that the demarcation is not between political party lines but that between pro- and anti-Henoko relocation lines.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Tiger....I got it! Lol!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The grant was frozen during the administration of Susumu Inamine, a former anti-relocation mayor. But when the pro-relocation candidate, Taketoyo Toguchi, won the mayoral election defeating Inamine, the central government took no time to announce that it would resume the grant in the amount of 3 billion yen.

As such, the central government made every effort to stifle Nago's economy whereby some voters voted for candidates who appealed how beneficial it was to cooperate with the central government.  

What do you expect? Anyone who thinks for a moment that the national government does this ONLY in Okinawa has their head in the sand. You want hand outs, but you don't want to cooperate with the government and their plans.

The PERFECT example of wanting your cake and eating it too! Childish thinking, just like the other politicians in other areas that scream bloody murder about the bases, and then get on their knees, damn near, to BEG for base funding.

"SOME" voters? The majority who got their mayoral candidate voted into office and the same with this election. You have ZERO ideas on how Okinawa politics work when you make comments like this. You really have no idea.

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extanker,

I’m not refuting your post because I’m not even arguing with you

You may not be arguing with me, but you’ve been hell-bent on supporting the Futenma-to-Henoko relocation plan which Washington took the initiative to suggest and Tokyo agreed to as a suitable relocation site. On the other hand, I've been saying Futenma must be returned immediately without any strings attached.

Futenma must be returned right then and there, unconditionally, because the land it sits on is stolen property, so to speak. There's no room for negotiation for the return of stolen property anytime, anywhere.

You've been posting your opinions supporting the relocation plan and trying to reject opinions such as mine. In other words, you've been arguing with me in spite of yourself as regards which is right, anti-relocation or pro-relocation.

Ashley Shiba,

Do you really believe Okinawa can't survive economically without U.S. bases? Yes, there were days when Okinawa's economy was largely dependent on U.S. bases, but today revenues derived from U.S. bases account for a little more than 5%. The time has changed and many businessmen and industrialists have begun to say U.S. bases are hindrance to economic development for those bases occupy prime land on Okinawa for business activities.

Look at the Omoromachi District in Naha. This area used to be a sprawling housing area for U.S. military personnel with local men and women working for them as gardeners and house maids. Today, it's one of the booming business districts in Okinawa with companies employing hundreds of office workers.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Sorry,

I've mistakenly posted the above comments on this thread in stead of the thread for the Sep. 6 article, "Okinawa residents seek U.S. base referendum with 93,000 signatures".

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Yubaru (Today 11:13 am JST),

The traditional main street in Nago City is jammed with closed stores and restaurants nowadays because customers prefer shopping and eating at big shopping malls and restaurants with spacious parking lots to mom-and-pop shops on the old main street of the city with no parking lots.

So the economic doldrums in downtown Nago, should there be any, is derived from the structural change of the city's economy. But the pro-relocation camp in the city's assembly election must have made the best use of it, claiming that cooperation with the central government would address this adverse situation. 

A tangible result of their campaign efforts bore fruit immediately after the pro-government candidate was elected to Mayor of Nago City. Those are the people you accuse for their hands out for alms – the very people you endorse and side with.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

A tangible result of their campaign efforts bore fruit immediately after a pro-government candidate was elected to Mayor of Nago City. You know, the central government announced it would resume a "U.S. Military Transformation Subsidy" for Nago. Those are the people you hate for their hands out for alms – ironically, the very people who you endorse and side with.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

The traditional main street in Nago City is jammed with closed stores and restaurants nowadays because customers prefer shopping and eating at big shopping malls and restaurants with spacious parking lots to mom-and-pop shops on the old main street of the city with no parking lots.

You really are a newbie to Okinawa with this kind of information here. Customers prefer CHEAPER than more expensive and THAT is the main reason the shopping center shuttered up. Along with the fact that the owners can not get their act together to work together to create something new. They all want handouts to stay in businesses that are bound to fail! Well before the AEON got built in Nago the area was dying,

So the economic doldrums in downtown Nago, should there be any, is derived from the structural change of the city's economy. But the pro-relocation camp in the city's assembly election must have made the best use of it, claiming that cooperation with the central government would address this adverse situation. 

Again pulling at straws, these folks, just like the folks in Okinawa City, and in areas in Naha are faced with a new reality. They no longer are needed nor wanted, as what they offer is far too expensive and the quality isn't there anymore either.

That is called progress, and these folks are behind the times.

Face it, in your arrogant views about the people of Okinawa, you want them to be living back in the dark ages,, I prefer the future! And guess what, I and people like me are going to win, because folks who think like you, who opine for the "old" days are a dying, and unnecessary breed.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Yubaru,

You blame the owners of mom-and-pop shops in downtown Nago for their lack of innovation in merchandising. If yours is a correct observation, then can you say an anti-relocation politician like former Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine is all responsible for it? I've been saying Nago's economic doldrums were caused by the structural change of people's economic activities. 

You cannot attribute the downturn of Nago's economy to people in the anti-relocation camp

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

To whom it may concern:

A personal bid for altering diplomatic matters such as U.S. base issues in Okinawa, or more specifically the Futenma issue, is quite limited or may be of little use. But since I see injustice and unfairness in the handling of Okinawa’s base issues by the two governments, I decided to embark on sending Okinawa's grassroots voice out at home and abroad with my little knowledge of English.

Like many other people in Okinawa I took the U.S. military presence and bases here for granted until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The U.S. military authorities in Okinawa used to tell us that the U.S. would keep bases in Okinawa until a communist threat ceased to exist. So when the Soviet Union collapsed and a communist threat seems to have gone, I thought a bulk of bases would be returned. For a while the bases seemed to be standing idly by.

Then, the 9.11 terrorist attacks occurred on September 11, 2001. The U.S military authorities took that as a windfall and began telling us the bases would be needed for the prevention of terrorism. They concocted the nice catchwords "Arc of Terror" to justify the continued military presence and so kept on strengthening the function of the bases. Disaster rescue was also added to the list of reasons why the U.S military presence was of necessity.

Washington's intention  has turned out to be very clear. They want to retain Okinawa indefinitely as a bastion or a permanent military colony.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Yubaru,

Tell me what is the future of Okinawa? How is the LDP going to improve the livelihoods and quality of life for the average person on Okinawa?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

The Japanese Govt. gave Okinawa to the U.S. Military and Okinawa missed out on the . economic growth that the people of Japan enjoyed. While Mainland Japanese were working for Toyota, Honda and Panasonic, the people of Okinawa were working as houseboys and maids for the U.S. Military. The Japanese Govt. is responsible for the economic situation of the people of Okinawa and it is the responsibility of the Japanese Govt. to improve the livlihoods and quality of life for the people of Okinawa but the problem is that the Japanese Govt. places priority on the U.S. Military Bases instead of the people of Okinawa.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

The Japanese Govt. is responsible for the economic situation of the people of Okinawa and it is the responsibility of the Japanese Govt. to improve the livlihoods and quality of life for the people of Okinawa but the problem is that the Japanese Govt. places priority on the U.S. Military Bases instead of the people of Okinawa

Then why does the GOJ allot a budget to Okinawa that is equal to Tokyo when Tokyo dwarfs Okinawa in population and GDP if they placed no priority on citizens and economic growth? Facts disagree with you here and demonstrate the OPG is to blame.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

CrucialS,

Then why does the GOJ allot a budget to Okinawa that is equal to Tokyo when Tokyo dwarfs Okinawa in population

When you say "the GOJ allots a budget to Okinawa," I think you are talking about a tax allocation by the central government to Okinawa Prefecture, which amounts to 301 billion yen in FY2018.  All prefectures in Japan receives a tax allocation from the central government, and Okinawa ranks the 12th in the order of allocation amounts. Tokyo doesn't receive it because it can do without it due to its abundant revenue sources.

Doesn't the U.S. have a similar system? The federal government has an enormous amount of tax revenues collected from people in each state as federal taxes. Suppose there were no federal tax and all tax revenues go into each state's coffers. Wouldn't that be nice?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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