INTERVIEW: Many Residents Against Futenma Relocation within Okinawa
Urasoe, Okinawa Pref., Sept. 4 (Jiji Press)--A majority of residents in Okinawa Prefecture are constantly opposed to the planned relocation of the U.S. Futenma base in the Okinawa city of Ginowan to the Henoko coastal district in Nago, another city in the southernmost Japan prefecture, former Okinawa Governor Keiichi Inamine has said in an interview. Inamine, a former businessman, was first...
Former Okinawa Governor Keiichi Inamine has expressed that the majority of residents in the prefecture are strongly opposed to the proposed relocation of the U.S. Futenma base from Ginowan to Henoko in Nago, as reported by Jiji Press. Inamine, a former businessman, became Okinawa's governor for the first time in the 1998 election, with the issue of relocating the U.S. Marine Corps air station to Henoko being a major campaign topic.
With two terms amounting to eight years from December 1998 to December 2006, Inamine's perspective is currently relevant as the gubernatorial race approaches on September 13. Incumbent Governor Denny Tamaki is facing re-election challenges from LDP-backed Genta Koja, former deputy mayor of Naha, and other contenders. The debate surrounding the Futenma relocation and other Okinawa-related matters are intensifying as the election nears.
Written by urgent.news from Nippon.com News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
