The Shima Gurumi Association plans to arrange for Okinawa governor Takeshi Onaga to deliver a speech at the United Nations (UN) as part of the International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism（IMADR). The speech would be aimed at preventing the construction of a new U.S. base in Henoko, Nago, which is part of a relocation of U.S. Marine Corp Air Station Futenma, now in Ginowan. According to Jun Shimabukuro of the Shima Gurumi Association, the organization started to work on the project in January, and became a member of the IMADR in May, officially asking the organization to support it. If all goes smoothly, Onaga will appear at the UN Human Rights Council, which will be held in Geneva, Switzerland in September.
The IMADR is a nongovernmental organization that is working on elimination of all discriminations all over the world. The organization has the right of special consultation with the UN and has certain influences on the UN. By arranging for the Okinawa governor to appear in the UN Human Rights Council through the IMADR, the Shima Gurumi Association aims to convey Okinawan people’s opposition to the base’s construction to the international community.
An anchor-like stone found inside Camp Schwab near the site of a planned relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma is likely to be from the Ryukyu Kingdom era, according to an expert.
The city of Nago has been preparing for archaeological digs at various Henoko sites, in addition to the one that yielded the anchor stone. If the stone does turn out to be from the Ryukyu era (15th to 19th century), authorities may need to reassess their decision to construct a temporary quay in that location. Such a development is likely to delay land reclamation work the central government plans to carry out in the summer.
On June 15, the city’s education board asked a group of experts at the Okinawa Prefectural Museum to examine the stone.
The museum’s curator, Chiaki Katagiri, who studied the object, told the Ryukyu Shimpo; “It has a groove in the center and is likely to be an anchor stone.”
On May 19, the board submitted an archaeological survey plan to the Okinawa Defense Bureau. It listed several sites inside Camp Schwab, including two temporary roads mentioned by the bureau, a base construction site at the Henoko-zaki area, a site marked for diverting the flow of the Mija River, and five related spots that possibly have cultural assets underground.
As the site that yielded the anchor-stone was not one of the sites marked for examination, confirming that the stone does in fact date from the Ryukyu era would require the authorities to expand the scope of the study. Preparation for the archaeological study must start soon, as the sites are set to be turned into work yards and the temporary quay soon.
On June 18, the Okinawa Association of Tokyo passed a resolution requesting cancellation of the plan to relocate U.S. Marine Corp Air Station Futenma to Henoko, Nago. The association consists of approximately 360 members. President of the association Takeo Nakamatsu visited Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga at the Prefectural Government office and conveyed his objection to the Henoko relocation. More determined than ever, Nakamatsu said, “We request the governments of the U.S. and Japan give up the construction of a new base that will destroy precious natural resources and leave further problems in the future.”
The Association reached an agreement at a board meeting held on June 6. The agreement will be announced in the association report. Despite electoral victories for candidates against the Henoko relocation at last year’s gubernatorial election, Lower House election, and Nago mayor election, the Japanese government has been forcing through the relocation. Regarding this, Nakamatsu stressed, “The central government’s attitude of ignoring the Okinawan public undermines democracy and local autonomy in Japan. Japan’s democracy has been called into question.”
Interviewed by the Ryukyu Shimpo, Nakamatsu said, “At the board meeting, some people expressed their concerns about bringing politics into the association. However, the board reached a consensus view that this is an Okinawan heartfelt appeal more than it is a political issue.”
Also, Nakamatsu requested Onaga attend “National Okinawa Association Exchange Conference,” which will be held on October 3, in Tokyo. Onaga expressed interest in attending.
President Takashi Higa of the Okinawa Association of Kawasaki accompanied Nakamatsu to support the resolution.
On the morning of June 20, Nobel-prize winning author Kenzaburo Oe, visited the Henoko district of Nago, where the governments of Japan and the United States are advancing the construction of a new U.S. base in order to relocate U.S. Marine Corp Air Station Futenma in Ginowan. Oe said, “I feel sympathy with those who are protesting against new base construction. I have a feeling that Okinawan citizens will ultimately win.”
Around 10:30 a.m., Oe boarded protest ship “Chura Umi (beautiful sea)” and left Henoko Fishing Port. After going over the sea of Henoko, the Nobel prize winner visited the gate of U.S. Marine Camp Schwab. Viewing Oura Bay from the ship, Oe said, “The sea of Henoko is different from what I imagined. The governments of Japan and the United States are trying to build the foundation of a huge military base in the transparent sea, which is rich in marine resources.”
Oe said, “I feel empathy for citizens who are persistent in protesting in front of the Schwab gate. Although they are confronted with the the U.S. and Japanese governments, those citizens keep showing their will to win, and they can if they don’t give up. I am impressed by them.”
In Oura Bay, Nago City councilman Takuma Higashionna accompanied Oe and explained about the area’s natural features. Higashionna said, “The governments of Japan and the United States are not only building a replacement facility for Futenma Air Station, but are also adding capacity for military ships.”
All overseas Muslims who participated in a survey by the Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau (OCVB) said that the availability of Halal food is an important factor to consider when traveling. The survey highlights the significance of dietary restrictions on items such as pork and alcohol for Muslim travelers, the OCVB said.
The OCVB, which finished compiling the results of the survey on June 10, aims to use the findings to improve hospitality and support for travelers from Islamic countries.
The OCVB conducted the survey between September and October 2014, collecting a total of 442 responses from Muslims living outside Japan, overseas travel agencies, travelers to Okinawa Prefecture, residents of the prefecture, and local tourism industry employees.
Overseas Muslims included in the survey mainly lived in areas that are part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. All of the respondents said the “display of the list of ingredients of food and beverage products” was “very important” or “important.” In addition, 99% said it was important for them to know whether food items had Halal certification or not when considering travels to Japan.
Other key items included access to “places of worship” at 98%, “places for purification of the body before prayers” at 95%, and availability of “rental prayer mats and the Koran” at 94%.
Asked what would be the deciding factor for selecting travel destinations, 71% said “price,” followed by “food” (42%), “climate and seasons” (40%) and “history and culture” (40%).
When travelers from Muslim regions were asked about their satisfaction level with Okinawa’s hospitality, more than half said they were “satisfied” with factors such as the availability of places of worship, prayer mats and the Koran. But only 45% said Okinawa had “dishes that are considerate to Halal” and only 36% said they were satisfied with the “display of the lists of food ingredients,” which leaves room for improvement in food-related areas.
A survey of tourism industry personnel in the prefecture showed only 19% said they had experience in dealing with Muslim travelers. Asked if they want to attract more of them, 36% said “yes,” “30% said “don’t know,” and 26% said “no.” Asked about why they want to accept more Muslim travelers, those who responded positively mostly said doing so would allow them to “cultivate a new market.” (96%)
Details of the survey can be found at the website for Okinawa tourism (http://www.visitokinawa.jp/oin/).
On June 10, two Meiji Government documents regarding “the Ryukyu Disposal,” an annexation of the Ryukyu Kingdom by Japan in 1879, were found. One of the documents revealed three strategies used to deal with strong resistance by the former Ryukyuan warrior class. A leading official of the Home Ministry proposed these strategies on April 9 1879, only five days after the abolition of the Han system and its replacement by the prefecture system. The other document is an original record of the first Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito strongly criticizing the first Governor of Okinawa Prefecture Naosugi Nabeshima, who was suppressing the resistance with a “tolerance and suppression” strategy. Ito ordered Nabeshima to take stronger measures.
The two archives, signed by the Home Ministry, are about two and a half pages long in total. They belong to the Prefectural Archive, which was interviewed by the Ryukyu Shimpo. The interview revealed that these archival documents are newly discovered. One of the experts described the archives as “very precious” because they reveal the actual conditions of the Ryukyu Disposal.
One is a document submitted with a report on April 9, 1879 by Kagetaka Matano to Seichiro Kinashi and Michiyuki Matsuda, who occupied the Shuri Castle. In order to mitigate the Ryukyuan resistance against the new prefectural government, the document suggested dividing the warrior class by getting the former King Shotai to sack local Shuri government officers and replace them with people selected by the new prefectural government. The government later implemented this strategy.
The other is a document sent from then Prime Minister Ito and Governor Nabeshima on October 8, 1879. In August of the same year, the new Okinawa Prefectural Government arrested and tortured more than 100 people from the former warrior class. In September, two former ministers who expressed “obedience” to the new government were hired as advisors for the prefecture. Regarding that, Ito warned by writing, “Do not believe them.” He ordered to interrogate them strictly. The Hara Tadayuki Collection at the University of the Ryukyus Library has a document containing the same contents and the signature of “Okinawa Prefecture.” The document found this time seems to be the original copy.
Kiko Nishizato, professor emeritus of the University of the Ryukyus, said, “The Meiji Government and the Okinawa Prefectural Government worked together on a “carrot and stick” policy towards the local population. While Prime Minister Ito focused on punishment (the stick), Nabeshima offered reward (the carrot) and this strategy divided the Ryukyuan society.” Nishizato explained how, “They carefully built up a network of insiders who would support the prefectural government.” Seitoku Kinjo, professor emeritus of the University of the Ryukyus stressed, “I knew about Ito’s document with the Okinawa Prefectural letterhead, but I did not know the Home Ministry had the original. The contents are almost the same. The discovery of the original document is precious.”
The late Masayasu Matsuoka, who served as a leading administrator in Okinawa from 1964 to 1968 under the U.S. military administration, came into possession of these two documents in Kyushu, when a person, who identified as “a descendant of Satsuma,” came forward with them. Then, Matsuoka’s family members donated them to the Prefectural Archives in 1976.
On June 11, in a lawsuit filed against the Japanese government by 2,178 citizens living near Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, the Naha District Court Okinawa Branch (Chief Justice: Tetsuya Fujikura) ordered the government to pay a total of approximately 754 million yen in compensation. The plaintiffs had filed for a total of approximately 1,010,450,000 yen in compensation for damages from noise pollution coming from the air station.
Justice Akira Hikage’s ruling, read by Justice Fujikura, was as follows: “The noise damage suffered by the plaintiffs is severe and extensive. It cannot be judged to be of a level that they can tolerate. The damage suffered by the plaintiffs cannot be viewed as something they must tolerate merely because of the public nature of MCAS Futenma’s operations.”
Regarding the ruling, Governor Takeshi Onaga told the press: “Most law suits over noise, accidents, and incidents suffered by Okinawa have been dismissed by the courts. It is significant that the damage caused by noise pollution was acknowledged.”
The court ruled that residents in areas where the WECPNL (Weighted Equivalent Continuous Perceived Noise Level) value is 75-80 should receive 150 yen per day in compensation, while residents in areas where the WECPNL value is 80-85 should receive 300 yen per day. However, no compensation was ordered for residents in areas where the WECPNL value is less than 75, or for residents claiming psychological distress caused by low-frequency noise.
Yasutaro Yakabi, head of the plaintiffs’ group, stated, “Because we have long desired the prompt relocation of Futenma Air Station, we are very glad that the court recognized the damage caused by noise pollution. I imagine it will have a strong impact on the government.” Hideo Miyaguni, head of the group of lawyers representing the plaintiffs, emphasized the significance of the ruling, stating, “It is very meaningful for residents that the government is being confronted with the fact that this is illegal.”
The lawsuit was previously unsuccessful, with residents filing against the Japanese government and the base commander, seeking to stop noise from the base as well as stop its flight activities. In 2010, the Naha Branch of the Fukuoka High Court ordered the government to pay compensation for illegal noise damage to the plaintiffs, but it dismissed their demand to stop the flight activities. An appeals court ruled that residents in areas with a WECPNL value of 75-80 should receive daily compensation of 200 yen, while those in areas with a WECPNL value of 80-85 should receive daily compensation of 400 yen. The lawyers who worked on the recent case claimed that the compensation amount ordered in the previous case was likely based on the results of similar trials that were held in other prefectures.
The plaintiffs demanded “the immediate and total closure of MCAS Futenma in order to allow residents in the area to return to a dignified life in a quiet, peaceful environment.”
They did not demand the prohibition of early morning and late night flights.
The government claimed that it was necessary for each individual plaintiff to specify the details of and provide evidence for the damage they were suffering.
On June 6, an Okinawa City Multiple Culture Community Promotion Association was inaugurated in the Nakasone district of Okinawa city. Takahiro Kina, who served as head of the Okinawa City International Exchange Association, founded the new organization to promote positive ties with foreign residents. In a city home to residents from 50 different countries, the organization aims to bridge cultural divides and foster equal relationships.
The organization plans to hold lectures, meetings, and various events tailored to each nationality. The office will also be an exhibition space for art works created by foreign residents.
Representatives of the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly, Okinawa Prefectural Government, and related institutions took part in the inauguration ceremony. Kina said, “With those who support our project, we would like to emphasize the internationalism and freedom unique to Koza.” He added that the organization will follow the Okinawa City Multiple Culture Community Promotion Plan, set up by the Okinawa City government.
The organization plans to regularly hold an event called “Multiple Culture Community Cafe.” Various activities such as lectures and film screenings will be held. So far, the event has featured Italy.
Massetani Marco, who is an Okinawa-affiliated representative of the Italian consulate general, gave a lecture on his experience of living in Okinawa for 18 years. Marco praised the safety environment of Okinawa city, where a child can walk alone and doors open from outside, not automatically locked. He said that Okinawa was like “heaven,” providing a safe life that is unimaginable to Italian people, and values that money can’t buy.
Marco, who has integrated well into life in Okinawa, said, “It’s no surprise, but I have never been discriminated against in Okinawa. I am proud of the excellent local culture of Icharibachode, which promotes open-mindedness.”
Kina plans to hold events featuring Peru in July and Brazil in August. He is also calling for foreign residents to use the office as a place to interact with one another. It is open from 3 to 7 p.m. from Monday to Friday. The organization plans to hold events on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays.
For further details, call the office at 098 (989) 9392.
On June 19, in Tokyo, Governor Takeshi Onaga will meet with U.S. Ambassador Kennedy for the first time.
The Governor will convey to the ambassador the will of the majority of Okinawan people, which is to refuse construction of a new U.S. base at Henoko, Nago, where the governments of Japan and the United States plan to move U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from Ginowan. Onaga will ask the ambassador to review the relocation plan.
A Porites community spreading like a forest in Oura Bay was photographed in April 2013. According to documents relating to the environmental impact assessment issued by Okinawa Defense Bureau in April 2009, a massive community of the coral was found there, stretching about 100 meters in length.
The Ryukyu Shimpo presents a special photo series on what has been happening in the sea of Henoko. The Japan Coast Guard officers have been forcefully removing citizens protesting against the construction of the new base on Oura Bay, where there are world-class reefs and dugongs. It is an absurdity to build the new U.S. base against the will of the people, because the United States is the leader of and biggest advocate for democracy in the world.
(English version translated and edited by T&CT and Jane Close)
In February 2015, coral was crushed by concrete blocks installed for a seabed boring survey in Oura Bay. Some concrete blocks have damaged coral that lies beyond the area approved for land reclamation by the Okinawa Prefectural Government.
A dugong was confirmed to be living in Oura Bay in 2001. The Dugong was designated a national natural monument in 1972. It is designated as one of the most endangered class IA species on the mammalian Red List of the Ministry of the Environment.
Yoshikazu Shiohira, Editor-in-Chief of the Ryukyu Shimpo
Governor Takeshi Onaga and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy will hold their first meeting on June 19.
We hope the two leaders to engage in frank debate in order to achieve unconditional closure of U.S. Marine Air Station Futenma and halt the construction of a new U.S. base at Henoko, Nago. At the same time, we hope they will discuss how to find a path to end the de facto colonial state of Okinawa and achieve democracy in Okinawa as soon as possible.
While Japan regained its sovereignty and became an independent nation after the conclusion of the San Francisco Peace Treaty, which came into effect on April 28, 1952, Okinawa was separated from the rest of Japan and continued to suffer under the rule of the United States.
It is a well-known fact that the lives and human rights of Okinawan people have been threatened by the U.S. forces. The U.S. military has destroyed houses and seized land from the people using “bayonets and bulldozers.” Incidents and accidents involving the U.S. military have occurred repeatedly.
The governments of Japan and the United States continuously claim to champion democracy, freedom, fundamental human rights and the rule of law. However, such universal values are under threat in Okinawa.
‘Henoko’ is a symbolic place that represents Okinawa’s current situation, because universal values are neglected there.
Government officials have cracked down violently on peaceful protesters opposing the construction of the new U.S. base. Underwater drilling by the government has damaged coral reefs and feeding sites of the dugong, an endangered species. State power has bared its fangs to residents and to the natural environment in Okinawa.
There is no other place like Okinawa in the rest of Japan or the United States.
Government leaders in Japan and the United States have emphasized that the dangers arising from the Futenma base should be eliminated by relocating it to Henoko as soon as possible. Closing the Futenma base is an urgent priority. We fully agree with this claim.
However, the majority of people in Okinawa are opposed to the construction of a new base at Henoko. They know that the construction of the Futenma base was in contradiction to the Hague Convention, because the actions of the U.S. forces violated Article 46 of the convention, which states that private property cannot be confiscated under military occupation.
Officials of Japan and the United States have turned a blind eye to these facts and chosen to ignore them. It is a contravention of justice to proceed with the construction of the new base.
Nearly a year and a half has passed since U.S. Ambassador Kennedy assumed her post in Tokyo. We think the ambassador has learned about Okinawa’s modern history, in which Okinawa has been at the mercy of great powers such as Japan and the United States, and about the current situation in which the U.S. military exercises the right to free use of bases on Okinawa; a privilege granted by an unequal treaty, the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).
We want to ask the United States government how to end the colonial situation in Okinawa that has continued since the end of World War II and how to correct the injustice that 70 percent of the U.S. military exclusive-use facilities in Japan are concentrated in Okinawa.
It is time for U.S. Ambassador Kennedy to send a clear message to the Okinawan people.
The ceremony for the Okinawan Memorial Day, known as “Irei no Hi” in Japanese, will be held on June 23. It will mark 70 years since the end of the war.
The Cornerstone of Peace, which is located at Okinawa Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, commemorates the sacrifice of all those who lost their lives in the Battle of Okinawa. The names of all the deceased are engraved on the monument, regardless of which side they were on.
U.S. President Bill Clinton promised to reduce the footprint of U.S. forces in Okinawa when he visited the Cornerstone of Peace during the G8 summit held in Okinawa in 2000. He was concerned about the excessive burden of U.S. forces on Okinawa.
However, the promise of President Clinton has yet to be fulfilled.
The latest opinion poll conducted by the Ryukyu Shimpo showed 83 percent of respondents opposed to relocation of the Futenma base within the prefecture.
A full 87 percent of respondents expressed a desire to expand the right to self-determination so that Okinawans themselves can decide on matters concerning Okinawa.
Government officials of Japan and the United States should once again learn the lesson from post-war history that security policy will encounter difficulties when it faces hostility from local residents.
They should listen carefully to the public will of Okinawa.
Governor Onaga showed his intention to change Okinawa from a military keystone to a buffer zone for peace at his press conferences in Tokyo and in his lobbying of government officials during his visit the United States.
That is a common desire of Okinawan residents, who endured hardship both during the war and after it ended.
The meeting between Governor Onaga and Ambassador Kennedy will be held during deliberations on security-related bills in the Japanese House of Representatives Special Committee. The bills will allow Japan to exercise of the right to collective self-defense and dispatch the Self-Defense Forces overseas.
Japan stands at a crossroads–whether to rush to arms expansion to further strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance against the so-called threat of China, or whether to choose diplomatic dialogue between Japan, the United States and China to reduce arms and troops.
We want Governor Onaga and Ambassador Kennedy to engage in discussion of the fundamental nature of security without being tied down by preconceived notions.
During his visit to the U.S., Governor Onaga strongly criticized the Abe administration for forcefully pushing forward with construction of the new U.S. base at Henoko against the will of Okianwa. He told reporters that forcing through the relocation plan is a negation of democracy, saying that the Abe administration’s “proactive pacifism” will be reduced to an empty slogan.
Peace studies posits the concept of “positive peace.” This concept is similar to, but not the same as, the proactive pacifism advocated by Prime Minister Abe.
The latter concept will become a driving force to transform Japan’s security policy to allow the exercise of the right to collective self-defense and to dispatch the Self-Defense Forces overseas. The former concept, “positive peace,” aims to eliminate such structural violence as threats to human rights and safety, especially pertaining to poverty, oppression, discrimination and disease.
It will be difficult to achieve a “positive peace” absent of the structural violence brought about by the military alliance.
We hope this meeting will be a starting point to correct the current overemphasis on military engagement and to move toward a magnanimous U.S.-Japan relationship that respects human dignity and safety.
(English version translated and edited by T&CT and Sandi Aritza)
Fifteen Okinawan Hawaiian high school students met Mitsuo Ageda, Okinawa’s vice-governor and Akira Moromizato, the head of the boards of education, at Okinawa Prefecture Office on June 11. They visited Okinawa on June 6 and are scheduled to stay here for two weeks as part of the Hawaii-Okinawa High School Exchange Program. The students stayed with host families and attended high schools in Okinawa.
Kai Williams from Kalaheo High School said, “This is my first visit to Okinawa and I am interested in Okinawa very much. I want to enjoy the rest of my stay.”
Mitsuo Ageda, vice-governor said, “I want you to make a lot of good memories and be a bridge between Okinawa and Hawaii in the future.” The Hawaii-Okinawa High School Exchange Program marks its 25th anniversary this year. According to the Hawaii United Okinawa Association (HUOA), the total number of participants from Hawaii and Okinawa so far exceeds 1,000 students.
Webcam(Kokusai Street)
