Former Prime Minister Hatoyama calls for breaking away from U.S. obedience

Former Prime Minister Hatoyama calls for breaking away from U.S. obedience

Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama during an interview at an office in Tokyo


 

May 4, 2018 Ryukyu Shimpo

 

On May 3, Ryukyu Shimpo interviewed former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.

Hatoyama has been traveling Okinawa and the world even after he retired from the Diet and has been sharing his ideas on realizing peace.

Regarding the Okinawa issues in central politics, he said, “The opposition party is weak.

They should clearly say ‘No’ to Henoko and convey a message that supports Okinawa, which fights at the forefront.”

Meanwhile, regarding the Abe administration, he touched on certain issues, such as Moritomo Gakuen and the handling of the documents regarding Kake Gakuen.

He also touched on the issue of the Self-Defense Forces falsifying their daily reports.

With all these issues, he said, “They won’t last” and voiced his thought that they would come to an early dissolution.

With that in mind, he also pointed out that the concept of Japan’s obedience to the U.S. is current “national polity.”

He also appealed for necessity to create a political movement that would change that current state.

 

Regarding Okinawa’s state of affairs, he described a clear sense of danger.

He said, “The situation is intense. I am concerned about Governor Onaga’s health. If the next election for governor crumbles, there’s no turning back.”

He then showed his intent on continuing to work with the U.S. to change the current state of affairs.

When he had a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Hatoyama had said, “(Mr. Xi) had mentioned that we do not have the DNA to invade another country. We should believe him. There’s no point in exaggerating the threat.”

He thereby applied the brakes to the China threat theory.

He also spoke about how with the Inter-Korean summit on the Korean Peninsula is heading towards détente.

He pointed out that, “The idea that we need to improve the bases in Okinawa because there is a need to counter North Korea’s threat will soon become outdated.”

He also voiced his concerns about deploying the Self-Defense Forces missile unit to the Nansei Islands.

 

(English translation by T&CT and Chelsea Ashimine)

 

Go to Japanese

 


　


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