Massive protests in Okinawa! The Republic of the Ryukyus is being born! China will be its mid-wife.
Calls grow in Okinawa for escalated protests against Osprey deployment - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun
Protests in Okinawa Prefecture have generally quieted down after culminating into a huge prefectural-level demonstration. But the rallies against the U.S. military’s deployment of the Osprey aircraft show no signs of relenting, even after
100,000 islanders gathered at the prefectural rally on Sept. 9.
Citizens young and old, politicians and even towns that do not host U.S. military bases are calling for an escalation of the anti-U.S. base demonstrations to put pressure on the Japanese central government.
Municipalities that have long remained silent are now expressing their views, and even remote areas of Okinawa Prefecture are joining the movement.
Shutoku Sakihama, an official of the association of senior citizens in Nago city in the northern part of the prefecture, said the Osprey deployment will not be the end of the story.
“We should not give up,” Sakihama, 81, said. “
Our lack of tenacity and our willingness to accept (the burden) for the past 67 years led to the continued existence of U.S. bases (on the island).”
Even before the MV-22 Osprey reached Okinawa Prefecture, protests were held in various parts of Japan over the spotty safety record of the tilt-rotor aircraft, which have crashed twice this year alone.
Adding to the concerns is that the aircraft are stationed at the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, which is considered one of the most dangerous U.S. bases in the world because it is located in the middle of a densely populated residential area.
The first six Ospreys arrived at the Futenma base on Oct. 1. Three more flew in on Oct. 2 and another three are scheduled to arrive soon. They are replacing a fleet of Vietnam War-era CH-46 helicopters.
The Japanese government declared the aircraft safe on Sept. 19 and gave the green light to the deployment, fueling arguments that Tokyo is once again ignoring the opinions of Okinawa Prefecture.
The tiny island prefecture has long been home to a large majority of U.S. military facilities in Japan under the Japan-U.S. security alliance. And the Futenma air station has been at the center of the controversy.
The U.S. government in 1996 agreed to return the Futenma base to Japan, but little progress has been made due to opposition from candidate relocation sites.
The Japanese government selected Nago for the Futenma base relocation, and the U.S. government has been pressing Japan to start the process.
But Nago residents remain opposed to the relocation plan, and on Oct. 3, they also made clear that they are against the Osprey deployment.
An estimated 1,000 protesters gathered in the courtyard of Nago city hall, including seniors walking with canes and young couples holding their infants.
During the rally, Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine urged the people of Okinawa to continue with their protests.
“We have been opposed to the deployment as a consensus of people in Okinawa, but
the Japanese and U.S. governments ignored us and forced the deployment,” he said. “We will stage a wave of protest rallies like this one in more areas and municipalities.”
