Okinawa Assembly demands that Okinawa Governor resign

January 10, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

The Okinawa Prefectural Assembly held an extraordinary session in the evening of January 10. The majority of the assembly members approved the resolution to demand that Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima resign. In the resolution, they protested against Nakaima’s approval of the Henoko landfill to prepare to move the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. The members blamed him for violating his pledge to move the base outside Okinawa. Opposition parties, the neutral faction Souzo and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party coalition partner Komeito favored the resolution.

This is the first time since Okinawa’s reversion to Japan that the prefectural assembly has passed a resolution demanding that the governor resign.

The opposition parties proposed the resolution. They pointed out that the governor violated his pledge made in the gubernatorial election campaign because he approved the government’s application for the landfill. The parties blamed the governor for ignoring the resolution unanimously approved by the assembly. In this resolution, they opposed moving the base inside the prefecture, and demanded it outside Okinawa or Japan.

The resolution did not discuss about the pros and cons of Henoko relocation.
Before the resolution, most of the assembly members made up of the opposition parties and Komeito approved the written opinion. It asked the Japanese government to cancel the relocation, and to swiftly close and remove the base.

(English translation by T&CT)

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