Deal for Reconciliation

Japanese government and Government of Okinawa reached a kind of deal for ceasefire in the exchange of lawsuits over construction of United States military base in Henoko, Nago City in Okinawa. Accepting reconciliation offer from the court, the national government agreed on stopping the construction and setting a table for discussion with Okinawa. However, Futenma U.S. Marine Base is going nowhere. Shinzo Abe administration has just wasted time by forcing its policy on a region without deliberated strategy for a consensus.

There have been three lawsuits between the national and Okinawan government. Governor of Okinawa, Takeshi Onaga, invalidated approval of the construction in Henoko issued by the previous governor, the decision which was suspended by Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation. The national government filed a lawsuit against Onaga’s decision, followed by indictment by Okinawan government against the countermeasure of the Minister. Okinawa filed another lawsuit against the decision of a governmental committee for settling dispute between national and local government that dismissed Okinawa’s appeal to invalidate Minister’s suspension.

In this unusual situation of legal fight, Naha Regional Court offered a compromise which demanded both sides to cancel their lawsuits, the national government to order correction of Onaga’s invalidation, and Okinawan government to appeal to the governmental committee to investigate the decision by national government. Okinawan government can file new lawsuit, if the process would result in insufficient. Both sides would follow the conclusion of the lawsuit. During the legal process, the national government would stop the construction of the base.

Fundamental problem left was the national government would be building new base in Henoko anyway and Okinawa will oppose any plan to construct military base in Henoko anyway, too. “According to the offer of the court, I will discuss for peaceful solution. Working with the Governor, I want to pave the way for the future of Okinawa,” told Abe. “I will not turn down my conviction not to allow military base in Henoko,” said Onaga. U.S. government is still hoping that Henoko relocation plan is only an option for the alternative facility of Futenma.

After all, the dispute between the national and Okinawan government returned to the point before the first lawsuit. It is fair to say that forcible exercise of the construction, against consistent protest in front of Camp Schwab, proved not to be working for early settlement. In short, the national government miscalculated the power of regional community.