On the morning of March 15, around fifty protesters opposing the construction of a new U.S. military base in Henoko, Nago gathered to demonstrate in front of the gate used by construction vehicles entering U.S. Camp Schwab. The protesters raised their voices in objection to the recent rape incident perpetrated by a U.S. serviceman.
Directing his words to the prefectural police officers and riot police from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Agency stationed at the scene to control the protesters, Hiroji Yamashiro of the Okinawa Peace Movement Center called out, “You should be controlling the U.S. military, not us! What is your real priority?” Other protesters also called out, “Who are the police really here to protect?” and approached riot police members to say, “Go back to Tokyo!” The protesters also raised their voices in anger toward trucks transporting materials and vehicles with Y-number license plates entering the base. Y-number license plates signify that a vehicle is registered to someone affiliated with the U.S. military.
Additionally, around 10:30 a.m., a man protesting in front of the Camp Schwab new gate was detained within the base compound by a security guard working on the base.
Masaaki Kuboshita, 64, a protester from the Hokkaido Peace Movement Forum’s Tokachi Block Association, explained, “Okinawa is a part of Japan, but it has long suffered discrimination. The safety of Japan was achieved on the back of Okinawan sacrifice. I want to protest that.”
Cocco, an artist from Okinawa, has been supporting a disaster-affected area of the Great East Japan Earthquake through the selling of CDs and charity bazaars of her private items. By 2015, she had donated about 14,580,000 yen to support orphans. This year, she donated about 1,750,000 yen to a public utility association, Chance for Children, which offers educational support for children in a financially difficult situation in a disaster-affected area. Cocco says, “Beyond the relationship between disaster victims and a volunteer, as one adult, I would like to support children.”
Two weeks after the earthquake, Cocco sang for the affected area on a television program. Receiving a letter of appreciation from her fans in Miyagi Prefecture, Cocco visited the affected area for the first time in July 2011. While she raised donations through charity DVDs and CDs, Cocco visited schools and learned how to best offer support.
Since she was a child, Cocco has been thinking that there are many things that children cannot do. When she became an adult, Cocco wanted to do something for children. When she visited a disaster-affected area, she was struck again, “Children make the future. They are so bright.”
As five years have passed since the disaster, Cocco said, “March 11 was the catalyst. Now that I have met them, as long as there are children I hope to offer them help to connect to the future. “
“Coral reef week” was from February 27 to March 13. Healthy coral reefs are in danger of being bleached by high water temperatures and red soil run-off. In order to protect biodiversity, tourism and fishing resources, the Okinawa Prefectural Government entrusted Onna Village Fisheries Cooperative and other organizations to transplant coral. The coral transplantation area will be more than three hectares, a world first on this scale, this November. The involved organizations plan to use a method of sexual reproduction to plant about 20,000 corals, which will be the world’s largest for such a project.
The transplantation started as part of a project to protect and restore coral reefs that began in the fiscal year of 2010. Congeners of staghorn coral are being planted. The coral transplantation area is currently about 2.5 hectares. Methods of sexual reproduction and asexual reproduction are used to plant corals. With the method of asexual reproduction, the involved organizations will plant about 100,000 corals.
The recent settlement between the Japanese national government and the Okinawa prefectural government over the nullification of the permit to reclaim land off the coast of Henoko, Nago City was explained in Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga’s recent report to a full session of the February regular meeting of the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly.
The governor then fielded questions from assembly members about the settlement. Of the scope of the settlement, Governor Onaga stated, “I have said that I will abide by the court’s final verdict in an administrative capacity, but the settlement regards only the two lawsuits relating to the permit nullification. Going forward, we will see changes in the construction plans and designs, and I will determine the appropriate response to those changes in line with the law. I intend to maintain my stance [opposing the new base construction] going forward.” This means that in the event that Okinawa loses in a future lawsuit regarding the recent order from the national government for Onaga to revoke the permit nullification, the governor will still maintain his commitment to preventing the base construction, and intends to use his authority as governor where possible to achieve that aim. This comment was in response to a question by Assemblywoman Mio Nakamura of the Shamin-Goken party.
The same day, Governor Onaga told the press that he intends to appeal to the Committee for Settling National-Local Disputes regarding the order he received from the national government to revoke his nullification of the permit. That will entail filing an objection to the order and asking the Committee to conduct a review of the situation.
There are several ways in which the governor could use his authority to block the base construction going forward. He could formally revoke the land reclamation permit, a procedure different from the nullification currently at issue. Revocation is possible when new complicating circumstances arise after the permit authorization takes place. Additionally, because the construction project is so large in scale, it is almost certain that changes will need to be made to the design plans. Each of any such changes will necessitate authorization from the governor, and he could use his authority to deny authorization. When asked about the latter possibility in the assembly meeting by Assemblyman Osamu Toguchi of the Communist Party, head of the Executive Office of the Governor Masaru Machida expressed his understanding that if a permit request does not receive the governor’s authorization, construction based on the details of that request cannot proceed.
In response to a question by Assemblyman Moriyuki Teruya of the Liberal Democratic Party, Governor Onaga emphasized the legitimacy of Okinawa’s position. “When recommending an out-of-court settlement to the lawsuits between Okinawa and the national government, the court pointed out that both lawsuits went against the spirit of the revised Local Autonomy Law, which stipulates that the national government and local government bodies are equal before the law,” Onaga said.
In his report on developments in the administrative arm of Okinawa’s government, Governor Onaga stated, “Going forward, I will participate in talks with the national government. It is essential that Futenma not remain in its current location permanently. I hope members of the Prefectural Assembly, as well as the people of Okinawa, will display understanding and cooperation toward our efforts to eliminate the dangers posed by Futenma, including its relocation outside of Okinawa and the cessation of its operations within five years.”
The direct link between the presence of U.S. bases in Okinawa and humans rights violations in Okinawa has been made apparent time and again. Dignity of the women living in and possibly even visiting Okinawa is being inexcusably trampled underfoot.
We will now express our deep resentment toward sexual assault on women by the U.S. military in Okinawa.
As long as the U.S.-Japan security treaty allows some 20,000 and several thousand US military personnel to be stationed in Okinawa, soldiers who cannot control themselves, and attack women in a vulnerable position, will continue to be among the stationed troops.
From a statistical standpoint, it is no longer possible to prevent military personnel in Okinawa from committing sexual assault.
Women’s human rights in Okinawa cannot be protected without large-scale U.S. base reduction and drastic reduction of U.S. military personnel.
U.S. military’s empty promise to strengthen discipline of its personnel
Naha police arrested a U. S. Navy sailor stationed at Camp Schwab under suspicion of raping a woman. This adds to the number of reported cases of sexual assault on sleeping women.
The suspect was staying at a hotel when he allegedly committed the crime. He is believed to have been intoxicated when he brought the victim, a woman unknown to him who had been asleep in the corridor, into his room to rape her. Even in accommodations that are supposed to guarantee safety guests cannot rest with a sense of security. It is hard not to feel deep sympathy for a tourist visiting Okinawa, who was sexually assaulted by an unknown U.S. soldier.
It is likely that this incident, and the harm that has come to the victim, will cast a shadow over the favorable state of Okinawa’s tourism. Leaders in the Okinawa business community have simultaneously cautioned that due to this incident, Okinawa may be viewed as a dangerous destination for tourists.
We have been claiming that the existence of U.S. military bases in Okinawa
is the greatest obstacle to promoting Okinawa economically. This incident, which may damage
the reputation of Okinawan tourism,indirectly validates our claim.
The onus is heavy on the American and Japanese governments for failing to protect against recurring acts of violence. The U.S. military repeatedly promises to strengthen discipline of its personnel and prevent recurrence of such incidents every time these cases occur. We wonder if their claims are considered equivalent to empty promises. We can say that as a matter of course, U.S. forces in Okinawa have proven themselves to Okinawan society as alike to foreign contaminants and uninvited guests.
In December 2014, the U.S. Forces, Japan (USFJ) drastically alleviated the restriction on drinking among military personnel and civilians in military employ within the Marines, Air Force, Navy, and Army throughout Okinawa. With the exception of drinking prohibition between midnight and 5 a.m., restrictions on where drinking is allowed and restrictions on quantity were lifted. Following this change, we have repeatedly pointed out the lack of discipline demonstrated by the frequent occurrences of drunk driving incidents with American military personal as suspects.
The recent rape incident occurred when the suspect and several of his comrades drank during prohibited hours and checked into a hotel. They went under the nose of their supervisors to drink with abandon outside of appropriate hours. This is evidence of the slack rules of the U.S. forces in Okinawa.
Proof of human rights violations
In September 2015 at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Governor Takeshi Onaga said in regards to the heavy burden of hosting US military bases in Okinawa, that Okinawans’ right to self-determination and human rights are neglected.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga criticized Governor Onaga’s statement as misplaced. Suga said that he felt uncomfortable that Onaga talked about Okinawa’s U.S. military base issues at the council, which makes the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms its principal mission.
This conspicuous incident of sexual assault by an American soldier exemplifying human rights violations has occurred within only half a year of Onaga’s speech at the UNHRC. Onaga delivered his message to the international community about the reality of Okinawa as a military base island. What he stated at the UNHRC is indisputable fact, evidenced by history following the Battle of Okinawa.
We wonder what Suga thinks about that? As the Minister in charge of Alleviating the Burden of the Bases in Okinawa, Suga’s primary role is not only to apologize to the U.S., but suggest drastic countermeasures that can eliminate human rights abuses.
This role boils down to stopping construction of the Futenma replacement facility in Henoko, Nago.
The Abe administration has been stifling Okinawans’ popular will, depriving Governor Onaga of his authority through legal methods, and forcing through base construction at Henoko. As such, Okinawan citizens’ pent up rage against the Japanese government burst forth with the recent rape incident.
Okinawan people feel further pain from the rape incident.
The American and Japanese governments’ wishes to quickly quell the backlash from this incident, which could be an impediment to new base construction, are transparent. This kind of attitude reinforces the governments’ current inconsistencies related to base issues in Okinawa.
March 13, Naha police arrested a U.S. Navy sailor, 24, who belongs to Camp Schwab in Nago, on suspicion of raping a Japanese tourist sleeping at a hotel in Naha.
The suspect was sent to Naha District Prosecutors’ Office on March 14. According to investigating officials, the suspect denies the charges, alleging that he had not been there (the room) and that he had been at a drinking bar at the time of the alleged offence.
According to the Okinawa Prefectural Police, 147 U.S. servicemen, military civilian employees, and their family members were charged with rape in 129 cases that took place during the period from May 15, 1972, when Okinawa was returned to Japanese sovereignty from U.S. administration, to the end of 2015.
On March 14, Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga expressed his strong dissatisfaction at the alleged rape incident by the U.S. serviceman, saying, “This is a serious crime violating the woman’s human right.”
Vice Governor Mitsuo Ageda urged Ambassador in charge of Okinawan Affairs Masashi Mizukami and Director General of Okinawa Defense Bureau Kazunori Inoue to take measures to prevent the recurrence of such crimes by U.S. military personnel.
According to the Naha Police, the suspect and the alleged victim were not personally acquainted. The woman was staying with her female acquaintance in a room at the hotel.
According to reports, she went out of the room to buy a drink. When she came back, the room was locked because her roommate had fallen sleep. The woman tried to wake her roommate by ringing a cell phone, but this was unsuccessful. Finally, she had to sleep in the corridor as she could not enter the room.
According to the investigators, the suspect brought the sleeping woman from the corridor into his room. At 4:00 a.m., the acquaintance heard screaming from the room in which the suspect stayed. She knocked on the door and found the victim and the suspect.
When the suspect was arrested, a slight amount of alcohol was detected on his breath.
The suspect and his fellow sailors visited the hotel and reserved their own rooms. They had drunk alcohol near the hotel prior to the incident and had come back to the hotel separately.
There is a possibility that they may have violated the U.S. military’s “liberty policy”, the code of conduct for U.S. service members and civilian employees, which regulates the staying out and drinking of alcohol off-base during off-duty hours in Japan.
Tokyu Land Corporation (TLC), NTT Urban Development, and Milial Resort Hotels have recently concluded a contract for a joint hotel project in Serakaki, Onna Village. The three companies (based in Tokyo, Tokyo, and Chiba Prefectures respectively) will jointly develop a resort hotel in the vicinity of Serakaki Beach, aiming for completion in 2018.
The development site is approximately 40,000 square meters (almost 24.9 square miles) and is projected to have upwards of 300 guest rooms. Although the company that will operate the hotel has not yet been determined, TLC Holdings reports that it is currently advancing negotiations on that point with foreign hotel companies.
A representative of TLC Holdings said the corporation acquired the development site for this hotel project back in 2006. However, not long afterwards the 2008 economic downturn hit, and the project did not move forward. The representative further explained that TLC Holdings sees Okinawa’s popularity as a sightseeing destination, and has therefore determined to work jointly on this project with other development companies in order to build a hotel on the land.
Taiwan-Japan Fishery Talks were held from March 2 to 4. At the meeting, officials decided that the 2016 Bluefin Tuna Fishing Season Fishing Rule (April to July quarter) will adhere to the 15-year rule, in accordance with the Taiwan-Japan Fisheries Agreement. The meeting focused mostly on the contact systems and recovery process when retrieving fishing equipment drifting outside the designated zones, suggested by Taiwan. The Taiwanese side steered the meeting, while the Japanese side was unable to reap any benefits. Members of the Okinawan fishery industry are disappointed with the results of the meeting.
Prior to the meeting, Japan had requested Taiwan give specific examples of measures to prevent fishing equipment drifting beyond zones. However, they did not receive any satisfying explanations from the Taiwanese side, even at the actual meeting.
Moreover, there was little discussion on demands made by the Okinawan fishing industry. They had been requesting an expansion of fishing grounds for orderly fishing in the triangle area north of the Yaeyama Islands. Kameichi Uehara, President of the Okinawa Prefectural Fisheries Cooperative said, “Before we had a chance to explain why we wanted an expansion, the Taiwanese side began to make their demands, and we ended up responding to those claims.” In contrast to Japan’s demands for an expansion, Taiwan requested for a reduction in the area for orderly fishing. The two sides have decided to reconvene next year for more discussions, after failing to reach a consensus.
In addition, both sides decided to form a special committee to hold further constructive negotiations. Their objective would be to establish rules regarding orderly fishing in the triangle area north of the Yaeyama Islands for fiscal 2017. However, Kiyoshi Ganeko, Union President of Okinawa Fisheries Cooperative said, “We are merely repeating the same demands all over again.”
The agreed upon fishing area in the pact is within Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) boundaries according to international law. However, Taiwan maintains its hardline position that it is Taiwan’s EEZ.
Ganeko said, “We need to come up with negotiation strategies in effectively negotiating with Taiwan and achieve a rule in the long-run that would be beneficial to Japan.”
Whale-watching tours in the sea around Zamami Island have reached their season peak. On March 2, thirty-two whales were confirmed near the island. And tourists enjoyed seeing whales lift their heads above the sea surface and blow seawater.
There were more parents with calves among the humpback whales than usual this year.
Hiroyuki Kurashima, who visited the island from Hokkaido, said, “We can see humpback whales in Hokkaido, but I am happy because here we can see the whale parents with their children in what is a breeding area for them.”
The whale-watching season in Zamami is from January to March. Zamami Whale Watching Association will hold tours until April 5.
Hirokazu Otsubo, the director of the association said, “The whales are heading to their feeding site in Japan’s northern sea. We want whale watchers to visit as soon as possible.”
On March 8, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Keiichi Ishii sent Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga an official order to revoke his nullification of the Henoko land reclamation permit. The permit is needed to implement the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to Henoko. The order is expected to arrive in Okinawa by mail on March 8. The order holds that Governor Onaga’s nullification of the permit was unlawful, and demands that he revoke the nullification by March 15. The Okinawa prefectural government plans to reject the order, meaning that within seven days from the day after the order is received, the prefectural government will file an official objection to the order with the Committee for Settling National-Local Disputes. After the Committee reaches a verdict on the issue, the Japanese national government and the Okinawa prefectural government will likely face each other in another lawsuit.
The national government had previously brought a proxy execution lawsuit against Okinawa prefecture, hoping for a court ruling that would allow the national government to authorize the permit in place of the local governor. However, the two parties later accepted a settlement recommended by the court. While the agreed-upon settlement did encourage the national government to issue an order for Governor Onaga to revoke the nullification of the permit, it also stipulates that the government must engage in negotiation with Okinawa in an attempt to reach an “amicable solution.” In spite of this, plans for talks have yet to be made. By immediately issuing the order to Okinawa after the settlement was reached, without engaging in any negotiation, the government has shown that it places priority on carrying out the procedures that will lead to a new court verdict. It has become all the more clear that the government intends to push forward with the Henoko base construction.
According to the order issued by the government, Governor Onaga’s nullification of the permit constitutes “an act, as stipulated in Article 245.7.1 of the Local Autonomy Act, in which a prefectural government nullifies a legally prescribed transaction entrusted to it, which is recognized to be in violation of the law.” The order demands that Governor Onaga revoke the permit nullification.
Meanwhile, on March 7, the head of the Okinawa Defense Bureau (ODB) withdrew the formal objection and request for a stay of execution of the governor’s permit nullification that it had made to the national government. The ODB acted in the capacity of a private entity in making these demands, with the aim of temporarily voiding the governor’s permit nullification. The Okinawa prefectural government had filed a protest lawsuit objecting to the stay of execution, which was ordered by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in response to the ODB’s request. However, because the request was withdrawn, the stay of execution will be terminated, and as soon as Okinawa receives notice from the review agency of its termination, the Okinawa prefectural government will withdraw its protest lawsuit.
At a press meeting on the same day, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga stated that it was natural for the government to issue the order based on the content of the settlement terms. He also said that the government wants to engage in talks with Okinawa soon, and that the two parties will discuss how to move forward with negotiations. Defense Minister Gen Nakatani plans to visit Okinawa later this month in order to try to gain acceptance of the relocation plan.
Upon receiving the national government’s order, the Okinawa prefectural government will discuss with its team of lawyers how to proceed. It will likely file a complaint with the Committee for Settling National-Local Disputes as early as next week.
On March 3, Ryukyu Shimpo found that 18 municipalities in Okinawa implemented programs of Japanese language assistance and guidance to public school students who have foreign citizenship, foreign parents, and roots overseas. The results came from a survey of 41 municipalities conducted by Ryukyu Shimpo. A total of 11 schools in five municipalities set up Japanese language classes. Six municipalities provided Japanese language assistants to accompany and support students. The number of children with foreign citizenship and their roots in foreign nations, who attend public schools and need language assistance, reached at least 107.
Ryukyu Shimpo sent the survey slips to local education boards of 41 municipalities from January 6 to 8 and received responses from all municipalities by January 28.
According to the best available municipality records, Okinawa City was the first to implement an accompanying assistance program, in 1991, and set up language assistance classes, in 1999.
With regard to the request for Japanese language education, five municipalities asked the prefectural and central governments for a budget to set up Japanese language classes and provide language assistants. There are also municipalities that have been asked by guardians to set up an assistance program.
Municipalities in neighboring islands claimed the target students are becoming more diverse with multinational backgrounds and it is difficult to have assistants who speak foreign languages other than English.
This year, Okinawa Prefectural Government (OPG) and Ministry of Education will place eight Japanese language assistants in eight schools in Chatan, Ginowan, Okinawa, and Onna, and plan to continue the placements beyond 2016. According to the OPG Compulsory Education Division, which trains teachers, there is no scheduled budget on developing human resources for language assistants in the fiscal year of 2016.
According to the survey results revealed by the Ministry of Education last year, the number of students with Japanese citizenship who registered in public schools in Okinawa on May 1, 2014, and need Japanese language assistance, was 129 in all elementary, junior high, high, and special-needs schools. Seventy-three students use English as their native language; 36 students use Japanese as their mother tongue. Meanwhile, the number of students with foreign citizenship who need Japanese language assistants was 87. Forty-nine students use English as a native language; 19 students use Filipino. The number of students needing Japanese language assistance reached a record high of 29,198 nationwide.
Students in need of assistance exceeds the number in the survey: Minako Takahashi, Associate Professor of the University of the Ryukyus
Characteristic of Okinawa’s situation is that more students with Japanese citizenship are needing Japanese language assistance than those with foreign citizenship. It is still questionable whether school-related people understand who are “the students in need of Japanese language assistance.” Some students who have no problem communicating with teachers and friends but are left behind in class are often considered to have “no language skill problem.” Therefore, there must be more students who really need assistance than the number the survey result shows.
Also, it is a problem when students in need of Japanese language assistance have not necessarily received support. The School Education Act revised in 2014 consolidated the systems to form and implement a special educational program for students who do not understand Japanese. Some schools in Okinawa do not know about the program. Other schools may know the system but do not know what to do. It is expected that the rate of implementing the program in Okinawa will be lower than the nationwide rate.
Webcam(Kokusai Street)
