Insufficient Agreement

The Prime Minister of Japan stressed that it was extremely meaningful for reducing burdens of people in Okinawa. The Secretary of Defense told that both countries achieved a new and important milestone. One may say are you guys kidding? The agreement Japan and US had on Friday was about realignment of US military bases in Okinawa and timeline for returning lands to people in Okinawa. It was, however, with no clear time line for the implementation. Each plan included pressure for the people to accept new facility of US Marine in Henoko, Okinawa, to which people had been strongly protested as an additional burden on them.

History of this issue shows how much the people in Okinawa have been against US bases. Every resident in Okinawa got furious on a rape incident to a girl in twelve years old by three US military servicemen in 1995. In their broad protests against the incident, they rather accused the existence of US military bases than the act of three men. Both governments agreed on reducing the occupation of the bases next year. Then PM Ryutaro Hashimoto told that the lands would be returned within five to seven years. But the agreement was not fully implemented mainly because of consecutive failures of Japanese government to persuade.

The agreement on Friday should be regarded as just another attempt for persuasion. The target was six facilities or areas located in the south side of Kadena Air Base in Okinawa main island. One of those six is Futenma Marine Air Base, over which the government of Japan and Okinawa has been disputing each other on a plan of relocating it to Henoko. The agreement was that Futenma could be returned in 2022 or later after the relocation to Henoko would be finished. “Well, if you accept new Marine facility in Henoko, then, we give the land of Futenma base away,” the agreement figuratively says. Another meaning is Futenma will never be returned until 2022.

Destiny of other five facilities and areas depends on where Futenma issue goes, because Futenma is the key of whole realignment. As long as Futenma is not settled, most plans are not implemented. Is it correct to call a plan with a time limit for not doing something an achievement, anyway? It can be said that the agreement was made to put pressure on Okinawa to accept Futenma in Henoko

However, mayors who have those six facilities or areas in their city area welcomed the agreement as an improvement, while the mayor of Nago, in which Henoko is located, strongly against it. Another purpose of the agreement might be dividing Okinawa in two, between people who welcome the plan and who are against it.