Assembly held in Naha to kick of petition demanding Henoko landfill be put to Okinawan resident vote
Participants at the “Henoko Okinawan Resident Vote Assembly” in Naha, calling for a vote on whether or not to allow land reclamation at Henoko. May 23, Okinawa Kariyushi Urban Resort NAHA in Maejima, Naha.
May 24, 2018 Ryukyu Shimpo
A signature gathering campaign was kicked off May 23 at the “Henoko Okinawan Resident Vote Assembly,” with the goal of putting a bylaw to Okinawan resident vote asking whether or not to allow the land reclamation project at Henoko, which is part of the relocation of MCAS Futenma.
That same evening, a kickoff meeting was held at Okinawa Kariyushi Urban Resort NAHA, attended by about 220 Naha residents in support of the initiative.
About 23,000 signatures, or 2% of eligible voters in Okinawa, are required to bring such a bylaw to a vote, however the assembly is aiming to collect around 115,000 signatures over the next two months.
In his greeting to the assembly, assembly advisor Morimasa Goya stressed the importance of the initiative, stating, “Since the return of Okinawa to Japan, have we truly obtained the human rights, peace, and democracy that we demanded?
This vote will demand that the U.S. military bases that have been stealing our land by bulldozer and bayonet, ‘finally give us a break.’”
Assembly representative Jinshiro Motoyama said, “I want this to further the discussion about things like World War II, the bases, and [Ryukyu] island’s shared problems,” and vice representative Nagatsugu Asato appealed, “I would like this vote to also serve as a chance to close Futenma, return the land, and send the base outside of the prefecture or even Japan.”
The participants at the assembly joined their hands together and said, “Let’s talk about the base. Let’s decide the future of Okinawa.”
(English translation by T&CT and Sam Grieb)
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