Kishida tells Okinawa that US military base comes first
Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan, another traditional family elite from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), immediately rubbished the democratic result in Okinawa (Ryukyu). This concerns the re-election of Governor Denny Tamaki – who won the election yesterday in Okinawa.
The Governor of Okinawa rightly wants the military burden of America to be shared out more equally in Japan: rather than the enormous burden being put on Okinawa.
NHK reports, “During the campaign, he voiced his opposition to the government’s plan to move the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station from Ginowan City to the less populated Henoko district of Nago City.”
Tamaki said, “I have not wavered one millimeter, nor will I, in my efforts to resolve the base issue and I will continue to share my thoughts with the people of the prefecture and seek a solution from the government.”
Tamaki continued, “We want to appeal to the United Nations and the international community how irrational and unfair the Henoko base project is to islanders.”
However, Kishida, whose popularity is plummeting in Japan related to the Unification Church (Moonies) scandal and other factors, immediately rubbished the election result.
Kyodo News reports, “Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday recommitted to taking the necessary steps to relocate a key U.S. base within Okinawa despite vocal opponent Denny Tamaki a day earlier winning a second term as governor of Japan’s southernmost prefecture.”
ABC News reports, “Today, a majority of the 50,000 U.S. troops based in Japan under a bilateral security pact and 70% of U.S. military facilities are still in Okinawa, which accounts for only 0.6% of Japanese land.”
Yet Kishida cares little about Okinawa (Ryukyu). His only concern is to double the military expenditure and placate America at every turn.
People during the war on Okinawa were expendable to both the Americans and the Japanese. Thus, turn the clock forward to 2022 and little changes. Therefore, the 0.6 percent of the landmass of Japan – along with the indigenous and cultural angle of this part of the nation – continues to be sidelined by America and Japan.
America and Japan view Okinawa as being a military base to utilize for their respective geopolitical goals (aimed at China) – which are dictated by Washington.
Kishida is a nationalist (anti-China and anti-Russia) and a pro-American revisionist. He cares more about Taiwan and Ukraine than the people of Okinawa (Ryukyu).
Concerning the Vietnam War, The Asia Pacific Journal reports, “The Pentagon had used Okinawa to stage the 1950-53 Korean War but it was during the Vietnam War that its military build-up truly bore fruit. The first combat troops to be dispatched to South Vietnam – including members of the 3rd Marine Division – came from Okinawa and, over the following years, hundreds of thousands more Americans transited through Okinawa. Tragically, many of those killed in action also passed back through the island, which hosted some of the military’s mortuary services.”
Okinawa is little more than a convenient set of islands to wage war. Hence, with tensions increasing over Taiwan, it is clear that America would utilize Okinawa – given its history.
https://nautilus.org/supporting-documents/japan-under-the-us-nuclear-umbrella/ – Japan under the United States nuclear umbrella – NAUTILUS INSTITUTE
https://apjjf.org/Jon-Mitchell/4308.html
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