Shimajin comments

The two points are the same argument and give more support to my argument that the idea of discrimination is false.

There not the same. In Okinawa the prefecture opposes the central governments plan and a clear majority of the prefectural citizens oppose it. So you are simply dispersing untruth here.

It is discriminatory by the central government to ignore the will of one prefecture while never doing anything similar to one of the other prefectures.

If you don't get this simple fact truth is lost on you.

Gubernatorial elections went to opposition candidates but all but 2 mayoral elections have been won by pro central government candidates.

Are you only talking about City (Shi) or all municipalities? Because if it is all municipalities the situation is much more diverse and even in regard to cities (Shi) not all of the 9 conservative mayors are backed by LDP.

And please note that even outspokenly pro LDP mayors, like the ones in Ginowan and Nago, will never openly say they are pro Henoko relocation. They will say they oppose it, but bon't see any better option, so pro LDP doesn't mean pro-Henoko.

I suppose you are not able to read Japanese otherwise you wouldn't dare to spread such falsehoods. Even the Japanese central government doesn't dispute the fact that Okinawans are overwhelmingly anti-Hanoko relocation, even if they occasionally elect LDP backed candidates..

Claiming elections represent Okinawans as being anti base/central government holds no weight.

I don't get you here. In Okinawa not one candidate ran on a pro-Henoko relocation platform. They would loose if they did so.

So where is your pro Henoko relocation evidence? You're just stating your beliefs without anything close to evidence for a noteworthy pro-Henoko Okinawan stance.

Look at the media sources behind your mentioned polls.

No, there are many more polls by NHK, by scientists and academicians, online polls and soon there will be a referendum that will clarify the situation even more.

You are just trying to conveniently cheat yourself and people here into believing there could be a majority of Okinawan citizens pro-Henoko relocation.

As you have absolutely no evidence to back up your absurd claim you can only try to discredit existing evidence. Good luck with that.

After your argument that other prefecture have seen the same treatment like Okinawa is disproved you try it the other way, that it is not about a majority but just a minority opposing within the prefecture.

You can't have it both ways, CyburneticTiger.

A group of small protestors and leftwing activists uniting against a government plan.

Elections, polls, local media, public discussions, all tell the same consistent story: a large majority of more than 75% of the Okinawan people are against the plan to relocate Futenma within the prefecture and build a new base in Henoko!

If you have any factual evidence that a majority of Okinawan people are supporting the current relocation plan bring it on. Otherwise just accept the obvious reality and stop misrepresenting Okinawan opinion.

The people of Chiba would love to see that bogus comment... Narita Airport was such an easy and well supported project...

You are mistaken, CyburneticTiger. In regard to Narita there was no opposition of the majority of the prefectural citizens. The anti-Narita movement was by largely farmers from the area and the leftwing student movement.

That is a completely different situation. But also please note that Okinawa is not only a prefecture but also a culturally distinct region within Japan.

NO ONE in Okinawa, no politician, no private entity, no one, has challenged the base construction at Camp Schwab on nothing other than a technicality in the application process. (Or any other base for that fact either!)

You are wrong here, it was of course on the table to challenge the status quo by way of the local autonomy clause in the constitution (CHAPTER VIII, LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT). People in Okinawa were talking about it, but as the judiciary in Japan is not independent and reliable it was not seen as feasible, at least not up to now.

Any high court judge who might decide in favour of Okinawa would be degraded to a family court immediately, just like the judges who were so courageous to stopp the restart of nuclear power plants in Japan.

Not just Narita, look at all the nuclear reactors that are starting back up even with all the local and NATIONAL opposition?

There is not one case I know of where a whole prefecture rejected a nuclear power plant and was forced to accept one. If you know of such a case bring it up here, Yubaru.

Nether did this happen for a US base anywhere in Japan.

But of course in regard to nuclear power plants the strategy of the central government is similar with that regarding the US bases. A mixture of pressure and big money to divide small and mostly poor communities and make them accept unwanted projects.

Exactly what the central government is doing in Henoko and other places in Okinawa: offer big money and oversized development projects directly to the communities to corrupt and divide them.

Democracy is tyranny of the majority. 

So how is it democratic if a central government can just ignore the will of the people in a prefecture or a region, CrucialS?

Please show us examples from modern democratic nations where something comparable happens, I'm curios to see what you will be able to come up with.

All modern democracies have rules in place there to prevent a simple tyranny of the majority. Even in the Japanese constitution, there is a clause about local autonomy the should prevent what is happening now in Okinawa. Unfortunately there is no independent judiciary in Japan to enforce such rules.

Anyway, even in Japan it would never be possible to treat any other prefecture like Okinawa is treated. That is what usually is called discrimination.

Except I am much more pragmatic about the situation, and will never see it as being "black and white" like you

You simply chose to ignore the clearly expressed democratic will of the Okinawan people, Yubaru.

We know quite exactly how the Okinawan people think about the base issue, from a lot of objective resources (all polls tell the same story 76% plus agains a new facility in Henoko) and there's no doubt that they support Denny's in regarding to Henoko, even if they don't support some of his other policy issues.

You try to look like someone arguing on a rational base, but your arguments are anti-democratic and supporting an authoritarian form of centralised government that doesn't care a care a rotten nut for the people.

lincolnman, we Okinawa people don't want you tell what we do. We live in democracy, we decide what we want do self.

Who you are Yubaru to judge Okinawa newspaper? Okinawa people choose there newspaper they like and you can not say this bad. Okinawatimes and ryukyushimpo show exactely what Okinawa think not what you like. If you want different newspaper you want different Okinawa and other Okinawa people.

Tokyo thinks it can discrimate Okinawa. Poor prefecture, few people, far away, no powerful lobby, no problem. Just let them swallow our decisions. In Europe or America democracy impossible situation. If Naichi media really show what happen in Henoko now everything will change.