Thirty Years from Agreement on Futenma

Just thirty years have passed since the United States agreed on returning Futenma Air Base in Okinawa to Japan on April 12th, 1996. Although both governments confirmed to build an alternative facility at Henoko in Nago city, it has not finished so far, facing firm protest of the people in Okinawa and technical difficulty to build new air base with landfill along the coast. This issue has been remaining as a major problem for Japan to maintain “indispensable ally.” 

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Walter Mondale, reached an agreement thirty years ago that the U.S. would return Futenma Air Base of U.S. Marine Corp within 5 to 7 years. It was a measure responding to anger of the people in Okinawa against U.S military personnel. In 1995, three U.S. servicemen raped a girl at twelve years old. The incident ignited frustration of the people against U.S. Forces stationing in Okinawa.

 

Futenma Air Base is located in the middle of urban area with houses and buildings. The U.S. Marine Corps reiterates take-offs and landings every day. People around the base are suffered from not only risk of falling of aircrafts, but noise of airplanes and helicopters flying over them. It is well known that then U.S. Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, saidthat it was the most dangerous base in the world when he visited there in 2003.

 

Both governments of Japan and the U.S. agreed on having alternative facility to Futenma Air Base and they made a plan to build a base with two runways in a shape of V in Henoko. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe decided to start construction of new base in Henoko in 2013, but the Governor of Okinawa Takeshi Onaga and his successor Denny Tamaki opposed the plan of national government.

 

The governor of Okinawa has an authority to approve construction of the base. The national government and Okinawan government struggled over the construction in the court for ten years between 2015 and 2025. With power to override local government, the national government continued the landfill in Henoko. The construction has reached about 40 percent of completion.

 

However, it was found that seabed in some area was as soft as mayonnaise. The government of Japan started additional construction to reinforce the seabed. It is driving tens of thousands of piles under the seawater offshore Henoko. This change of plan delayed schedule of building new U.S. Marine base. Accordingly, Futenma Air Base has yet been returned to Japan.

 

There is a concern that the base might not be returned to Japan. Both governments agreed in 2013 that the U.S. Force could use runway of private facility in emergency. Japanese government has not determined which private airport can be used by the U.S. Force in emergency. The determination is recognized as one of the conditions of returning Futenma Air Base.

 

The government of Japan has been failing in receiving approval from Okinawa on its policy. In the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, Okinawa lost a quarter of its population. There are some stories that Japanese Imperial Army forced the people in Okinawa to kill themselves before killed by U.S. Forces. Those memories of war make Okinawan people skeptical to Japanese government and strongly oppose to war. They believe new base in Okinawa will be an enemy’s target to strike Okinawa.

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