Okinawans reject anti-US option

[SunWuKong]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6164154.stm

Okinawans reject anti-US option

The southern Japanese island chain of Okinawa has elected a new governor, in a ballot widely seen as a referendum on the presence of US forces there.

Hirokazu Nakaima, a candidate supported by Japan's ruling coalition, narrowly beat Keiko Itokazu, who had campaigned for a reduction in US troop numbers.

Mr Naikama won the ballot on a platform of improving the island's economy.

He has pledged to negotiate over the US presence in Okinawa. Locals living near US bases complain of noise and crime.

The US military has kept forces on the islands since World War II.

New runways

Earlier this year, the Japanese government endorsed proposals for the most significant reorganisation of US troops in Japan in decades.

Under the terms of the deal, several thousand US marines will be moved off the southern island of Okinawa to the US territory of Guam by 2014.

The US will also move its operations from the existing Futenma base - which is in a built-up area - to two new runways near Camp Schwab, in northern Okinawa.

In campaigning, Ms Itokazu, who had hoped to become Okinawa's first female governor, called for the base to be moved out of Japan altogether.

Mr Nakaima, 67, said he was opposed to the relocation plan, but did not rule it out as an option. He said he would negotiate with central government on the issue and avoid confrontation.

Election officials said he had won with 347,303 votes, just over 37,000 more than his rival.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose ruling coalition backed Mr Nakaima, welcomed his victory and promised to listen to the concerns of the people of Okinawa about the US presence.

[Napoleon Chynamite]

Am I the only one that often finds misleading article titles annoying (and way too commonplace)? This one makes it almost look like Okinawans are in complete support of the US presence and opposed to the general criticisms of those who are not.

[yoMAMA]

okinawa is basically a dumpster for the japanese government.

they would never allow the kind of stuff going on at okinawa on mainland japan.

[Hiroshi2]

Am I the only one that often finds misleading article titles annoying (and way too commonplace)? This one makes it almost look like Okinawans are in complete support of the US presence and opposed to the general criticisms of those who are not.



Yeah, that's why I had to read it. Because I knew that couldn't possibily be the case.


Okinawans elected a governor who ran against someone who supported pushing U.S. troops out. But as the article also said, the winner of the election also campaigned on the basis of economic improvement and development. Two different issues.

I have a feeling the economy is a more important issue for Okinawans than the prescence of U.S. troops.

[younggiftedandblack]

I have a feeling the economy is a more important issue for Okinawans than the prescence of U.S. troops.
They're in a tight situation. If you push all the troops out then you cut into a huge chunk of your economic base. But if you keep the troops there then you have to put up with some of the spoils that come with it.

[SunWuKong]

maybe they can do more to develop their tourism industry. i mean it's the only tropical location in Japan. i'm sure it's not too hard to attract tourists from mainland Japan.

[younggiftedandblack]

maybe they can do more to develop their tourism industry. i mean it's the only tropical location in Japan. i'm sure it's not too hard to attract tourists from mainland Japan.

Last time I was there (2004). They were doing allot of building up to attract more mainland tourist. Trying to make it into Japan's very own Hawaii. The thing is are tourist dollars enough to keep all of Okinawa afloat?

[SunWuKong]

Last time I was there (2004). They were doing allot of building up to attract more mainland tourist. Trying to make it into Japan's very own Hawaii. The thing is are tourist dollars enough to keep all of Okinawa afloat?

maybe a little bit of agriculture? they must be able to grow some stuff that mainland Japan can't. also, aquaculture, too, maybe? but mainland Japan itself must have a pretty developed aquaculture industry.

anyway, i think if they can attract Taiwanese and mainland Chinese tourist money as well, that would boost the economy. but i don't know enough about Okinawa's economy to guess how much they can depend on tourism.

[Yeahman]

Am I the only one that often finds misleading article titles annoying (and way too commonplace)? This one makes it almost look like Okinawans are in complete support of the US presence and opposed to the general criticisms of those who are not.
Yes, you may be the only one to think that "Hirokazu Nakaima, a candidate supported by Japan's ruling coalition, narrowly beat Keiko Itokazu, who had campaigned for a reduction in US troop numbers." means that Okinawans are in complete support the US presence.

Most of the Google search results for "Itokazu Nakaima," are about the US bases.

I have a feeling the economy is a more important issue for Okinawans than the prescence of U.S. troops.
I doubt it. In the US, for the past 2 years, Americans found the presence of US troops on FOREIGN soil more important than the economy.

[friedfishribs]

They're in a tight situation. If you push all the troops out then you cut into a huge chunk of your economic base. But if you keep the troops there then you have to put up with some of the spoils that come with it.

Well, that's exactly the issue. The Okinawans who make money off the U.S. troops are the pimps, the traders, and the general providers of luxuries and material objects. The people who suffer from U.S. occuption are the poor farmers who need to deal with the tens of thousands of U.S. soliders driving drunk, harrassing women, terrorizing the public at large, and owning and living in wealth on the island's best land. Ever wonder why so many Asian women are married to white men? Just take a look at the squalor surrounding an American military base. Look at the prostitution and the brothels and you don't wonder why so many woman are trying to escape their country by marrying an American GI.

Military bases depress the living conditions of the immediate surrounding area by funnelling resources to a small ruling service-based class. These sell-outs can be counted on to preserve the status quo of U.S. militarism and are classic examples of the dominant wealthy minority versus the under-privileged poor majority. Who has the wealth and who controls the power? Who has the means to distribute information and suppress it? Which governor was supported by the ruling class and why? You can't help but be aware that the Japanese government is the political lapdog of the U.S. That the ruling class of Japan evolved from the fascist military dictatorship, erected by the U.S. military after the fall of the emperor. Now Japan follows in the wake of the U.S. imperialist economy; they're part of the same problem.

The ruling class of Japan has every personal economic incentive to keep the military base in Okinawa just the way it is, the majority of Okinawans, however, are the ones that have to pay the price for it. Ousting the military base is just one step of the larger process - Okinawans need to have the ability determine for themselves what happens on their own land.