Nakatani, Okinawan governor, Nago mayor remain apart on base issue

There is no compromise possible, the people of Okinawa do not want a new air base.

In what way do you imagine they are trying to "narrow their differences?"

Nakatani won't give an inch and nor will Onaga and Inamine.

The US wants a splendid spanking new base, built and paid for by Japan.

Abe, Nakatani, and Suga don't have the courage to say no, and want the base as far from Tokyo as possible.

Onaga and Inamine don't mind the Japanese government building another base if that makes them happy, but Okinawa is already based out.

Okinawans just want their land BACK as it had been promised.

This is the crucial moment for Okinawa people.

Again folks are being pulled in by the media. It is sad that people blindly believe everything they are spoon-fed from the local media here.

The national government is giving Okinawa an opportunity for compromise, however it doesnt seem that it is possible, and what will happen is Abe will expand his reach and build the base extension with or without the prefectural Gov okaying it or not.

It's not a step he wants to take, but Abe is not afraid to do what it takes to get what he wants.

RE: "The US wants a splendid spanking new base, built and paid for by Japan. " What a crock of understatements. Get your facts correct if posting this kind of garbage without backing it up with profound and solid facts.

It is no secret that Onaga has made his money under the protection and umbrella of the US presence in Japan as many other companies, but that is what business is all about, however to turn your back on what got one their money is what many Americans would refer to as "Pearl Harbor". Onaga and many other non Ryukyu natives have made lots of money as a result of the alliance between Japan and the US. However if Onaga is counting on new money, or rather fake money as the pocket media in Okinawa has done, well good luck to you but what Onaga is forgetting and sending his own delusional messages is only to appease his real supporters, the yuan. He made his first yen on the backs of US and Japanese now he is out to make more on the backs of the Chinese. See how far that will get him..

Why are the government officials only talking to each other in private? There should be town hall meetings with the details of these plans being explained directly to the people of Okinawa and allow them to ask questions and express their concerns. Until a majority of the Okinawan people are convinced this is a good deal for them, you will always have this situation. If the central govt. is so convinced that this is the best deal possible for Okinawa then they should be able to show that to the people and get their support. The central govt. and U.S. Military need to explain directly to the people the details of how this plan came about, why this facility must be on Okinawa and why Henoko is the only viable option. They also need to explain the benefits to the people of Okinawa by having this plan enacted.

I am reminded of the "irresistible force paradox". As in "what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?" It seems like that is the case here, although in reality, it probably isn't true.

In any event, I don't know what Japanese words are being used by Suga when he speaks of making explanations, but undoubtedly he is seeking to gain the "understanding" of the Okinawa government. As in "rikai" or something similar. Native Japanese speakers can correct me if I am wrong. The problem is that the national government will just keep repeating the same words over and over. Does anyone think that, after all of these years, there will be some "magical agreement".

The problem for the people of Okinawa is that every day the move to Henoko is delayed, it is another day that Futenma's operations are prolonged. They may think that by delaying the construction of the facilities at Henoko, they are winning and in some ways they are, because it leaves the future uncertain. But it is the cost of the status quo continuing.

At some point, one side is going to have to take action that escalates matters if they wish to move this forward. Either the national government just tells the Okinawa government to bugger and starts construction anyway, or the people of Okinawa embark on a civil disobedience campaign that ratchets up the pressure on the national government. And for the people of Okinawa, if they think anything other than aggressive confrontation will lead to victory for their cause, they are largely engaging in wishful thinking, I believe.

One final thing. Whatever the benefits are of the Japan-U.S. strategic alliance, it is not an equal partnership. Is that because of the U.S.? Sure, but that is in the absence of Japan deciding to demand to be treated as an equal partner. I would contrast that to the relationship between the U.S. and Germany. Which is most certainly much more of an equal partnership.

Japan really needs to rethink its relationship with the U.S. Not because it no longer wants to be an ally, but because it needs to become its own country so that it is treated as such. I would recommend everyone read the following article, because it is an excellent piece by a respected expert on U.S.-Japan affairs.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/08/15/national/history/dependence-day-japans-lopsided-relationship-washington/#.VdE5mXjYmTD

They also need to explain the benefits to the people of Okinawa by having this plan enacted.

This is something I have been an advocate of for 3 decades. The national government here has never explained the reasoning of why there are US Military bases in Japan nor explained why they are still needed.

Most of the population of Japan has grown up with having bases here and never being told why.

The national government is so intent on carrying out the Henoko relocation plan for the sake of the U.S. government, saying it's the best and only choice. Why? Remember there visited many U.S. government-affiliated personalities to Tokyo right after the 2011 Great Tohoku Disasters?

Among them was James Auer, director of the Center for U.S.-Japan Studies at Vanderbilt University. He lost no time in contributing a written appeal to the March 26 edition of the Sankei Shinbun, a Tokyo-based conservative newspaper, offering four proposals to help reconstruct Japan as it did after World War Two.

One of the four proposals was concerned with the U.S. military realignment in Okinawa. He suggested that the U.S. military realignment in Okinawa, including Futenma's relocation to Henoko, Nago City, Okinawa, be implemented with no delay as bilaterally agreed upon in 2006. Rescue work by the U.S. Marines in the March 11 disasters was carried out by Okinawa-based Marine contingents utilizing heavy transport helicopters, that demonstrated, as well as proved, the mobility and ability of the Marines to cope with such disasters. In other words, their rescue work proved the raison d'etre of the U.S. Marines deployed in Okinawa.

Auer's suggestion about the Henoko relocation is not merely his own but certainly the policymakers in Washington's also It seems then that Tokyo is simply following what was dictated to it by Washington.

We also see in Auer a U.S. recalcitrance not to lose hard-won vested interests in whatever predicament the other country may be.

With no new agreements, keeps the status quo

I wish someone would do an honest and scientifically accurate poll to see what the Okinawan people actually think about the base issue. It seems that most of the protesters at the Henoko construction site are not Okinawans. They are Japanese. From what I here the Okinawans are largely indifferent to the base relocation. (Remember it's ot a new base - it's a relocation of the Futunma Air Station to the existing Camp Schwab base in Henoko.) The Futenma base is supposed to be cleaned up and the land returned.

Governor Onaga ran as a Communist, his job seems to be to get rid of the bases. Maybe he has Chinese friends?

@Richaes Burgsn Governor Onaga ran as a Communist, his job seems to be to get rid of the bases. Maybe he has Chinese friends?

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@Bertie: Does above comment writer claim right? Is he claiming Okinawan majority people are communists?

lostrune2:

If things go as you assume, then the Marines in Okinawa will be faced with very hostile circumstances wherever they are. If, in spite of it, they insist on maintaining their presence in Okinawa, that will certainly prove they are here not for Okinawa's (or Japan's) sake but solely for their own sake. If the nation woke up to this fact, what would become of all these 88 U.S. bases in Japan?

Richard Burgan:

The relocation issue is not a local issue confined only to one locality as you want to think. No, it's genuinely a national issue per se with Japan being questioned if it's really

a sovereign state. Relocating a foreign base to another location within Japan (Okinawa is part of Japan) with all the costs borne by Japanese taxpayers infringes upon Japan's sovereignty, don't you understand?

Richard the people protesting the new airbase are from Okinawa. It is the mainland Japanese (unless they live near a base) that are indifferent to US bases. As for MCAS Futenma, I do not believe it will be returned in my lifetime even if the new airbase is built. My proof is Camp Lester has not been returned despite the new hospital built by Japanese taxpayers. The American military have a history of lying to the people of Okinawa. After the new airbase is built it will be announced that the new base can not replace MCAS Futenma and it will remain open.

@voiceofokinawa,

If things go as you assume, then the Marines in Okinawa will be faced with very hostile circumstances wherever they are. If, in spite of it, they insist on maintaining their presence in Okinawa, that will certainly prove they are here not for Okinawa's (or Japan's) sake but solely for their own sake. If the nation woke up to this fact, what would become of all these 88 U.S. bases in Japan?

An interesting post and I understand the point, which is that the U.S. takes advantage of its overseas bases in support of what it sees as its global strategic interests. Absolutely. No question. However, they can only do so at the pleasure of the host country. Meaning that the national government of Japan can put an end to it if it so chooses. And yet it hasn't.

The question for the people of Japan is this: why not? I posted a link earlier in this thread that gets at this issue and at the relationship between the U.S. and Japan.

The reality is that, whether the people of Okinawa like it or not, the national government of Japan currently does not have any desire to end the status quo. Why? A good question for the politicians and bureaucrats in Tokyo. Regardless, there doesn't seem to be any burning desire by those in Tokyo to radically change the relationship and arrangements in place. Regardless of what the people of Okinawa want.

@YuriOtani,

I absolutely understand your cynicism as it relates to the U.S. and its promises with respect to Okinawa. It is probably not unwarranted. I do believe the U.S. military (and government) takes advantage of a weak and compliant Japanese national government. I am not as skeptical as you with regards to the various closings if the terms required for closing are met, but I do believe it requires a Japanese national government that insists on those deadlines and commitments to be met.

For those that don't understand your reference to Camp Lester, am attaching a link. It is not the definitive link, but provides some context.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/camp-kuwae.htm

zones2surf AUG. 18, 2015 - 01:40AM JST An interesting post and I understand the point, which is that the U.S. takes advantage of its overseas bases in support of what it sees as its global strategic interests. Absolutely. No question. However, they can only do so at the pleasure of the host country. Meaning that the national government of Japan can put an end to it if it so chooses. And yet it hasn't.

The Okinawa bases remain because no one else in Japan wants to host American military forces. Thus, Tokyo politicians have every incentive to keep the U.S. presence concentrated in the most distant, least influential, and poorest prefecture.

The U.S. still should pursue emergency base access, intelligence sharing, and joint training. There undoubtedly would be other areas for military cooperation in East Asia and beyond. They don't need to be in Okinawa to meet any time line in any war plan. No one imagines the U.S. invading the Chinese mainland in the unlikely event of war. Air and naval forces guarantee Japan's security. The Japanese people should assess the importance of national security objectives, and decide what they need and how much they are willing to spend. Without U.S. as a convenient scapegoat, Japan's leaders would have to more seriously weigh fairness to Okinawans in deciding where to base whatever forces Tokyo chooses to maintain. Such a shift would place greater pressure on Japanese officials to forge better relations with their neighbors. Regional cooperation should become a primary tool of Japan's defense policy. As long as Japan can hide behind the U.S. fleet, Japanese politicians can play the nationalist card at home. Left on its own, Japan would have to weigh the international cost of such behavior much more seriously. U.S. defense commitments and force deployments should be adapted to circumstances. After nearly 70 years Okinawans deserve relief. So do Americans, who pay to defend most of the globe.

@yuri: Don't shut out any people who think keeping bases in Okinawa or any plaace in Japan is wrong. Invite anyone, including none Japanese who tries to help to move bases out of Japan. You can not fight alone. Then demand Jaoanese govt to pay Omoiyari Fund to Okinawa and Okinawan people for 70 years patience.

Defense Minister Gen Nakatani on Sunday met Okinawan Gov Takeshi Onaga and Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine to try and narrow their differences over the planned relocation of a contentious U.S. Marine air base from Futenma to Henoko, but no progress was made.

How do you narrow the differences? either the base gets built or it doesn't.

This could be the spark that will lead to serious calls for Okinawan Independence. If Abe doesn't play his cards right, he could go down in History as the PM who not only ruined Japan and brought her to her knees, but also as the PM who lost Okinawa.

Okinawa is furious with the LDP. They really need to play their cards carefully.

Suga and Abe must be wondering where in Japan CIA operating. Suga might visit Okinawa soon. More delsy on base issue?

@zones2surf

However, they can only do so at the pleasure of the host country. Meaning that the national government of Japan can put an end to it if it so chooses. And yet it hasn't

.I think you are being very naive. US is very good at creating the ideal situation for them through their decades long strategy.

@zones2surf However, they can only do so at the pleasure of the host country. Meaning that the national government of Japan can put an end to it if it so chooses. And yet it hasn't

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What kind of pleasure of Japan? GI running around to scare young Okinawan girls for 70 years are pleasure of Japan?