TOKYO: Japan’s central government yesterday formally asked Okinawa’s governor to approve plans to build new US military facilities on the island, officials said, a vital step to ending a long-running dispute.
The move is the first in several years aimed at breaking the deadlock between Tokyo, which is bound to the US through a security treaty, and Okinawa, which resents bearing the burden of so many of the country’s US bases.
Governor Hirokazu Nakaima received the request from the Japanese defence ministry asking that he give the go-ahead to plans to reclaim land off Henoko, central Okinawa, to build a runway for the US military, a spokesman said.
“Our governor will decide on whether to approve or not after looking into details of the request,” the spokesman said.
Nakaima, who is authorised to approve all landfill projects on the island, is expected to make a decision in six to eight months, Japan’s national broadcaster NHK reported. But Nakaima has repeatedly hinted he could reject the request, which is not backed by local people.
In 2006, Tokyo and Washington agreed to shift the controversial Futenma air base from a crowded city to the quiet area of Henoko and to cut the number of troops in Okinawa.
Locals have long complained of the noise from aircraft, the risk of accidents, and damage to the environment and want the base moved, but few in Okinawa would be happy to see it shifted within the island.
AFP
