Jun 23 (Japan Times) - Okinawa on Friday marked 72 years since the end of a fierce World War II ground battle that killed a quarter of its civilian population, as resentment continues to run deep over the heavy concentration of U.S. military bases there.
Touching on a U.S. Osprey that ditched off the main island in December and other accidents, Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga said at a memorial service for the war dead the same day that residents' needs weren't being addressed.
"We see moves running counter to a reduction of the burden," Onaga said.
He also criticized the central government for moving ahead with the contentious relocation plan for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, which he has fiercely opposed.
Onaga, who wants the air base removed from the island prefecture, said he cannot tolerate the construction work and described it as against "the will of the people."
The governor said he understands the importance of the Japan-U.S. security alliance and that the use of Okinawan facilities and land are being granted for the nation's security, but noted that the burden should be shared by the "entire nation."
"I want people in this country to sincerely think about Okinawa's situation and how Japan-U.S. security arrangements should be," Onaga said.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who also attended the ceremony at Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, the site of the final stage of the Battle of Okinawa, renewed the government's pledge never to wage war again.
Acknowledging that Okinawa's base-hosting burden is heavy, Abe added, "I'm determined to produce definite results to allay the burden."
The U.S. bases in the prefecture were built on land expropriated from islanders during a U.S. occupation that lasted until 1972. Despite only accounting for 0.6 percent of the nation's land, Okinawa is home to about 70 percent of the total area set aside exclusively for U.S. military facilities in Japan.
Source: ANNnewsCH
