Abe stands firm on Okinawa base move
Print Edition
Japan鈥檚 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said yesterday that the controversial relocation of a US military base in Okinawa will not be delayed despite a referendum that saw voters reject the move.
鈥淚t has been 20 years since Japan and the US agreed鈥 to relocate the Futenma base, Abe said. 鈥淲e cannot delay this any further.鈥
His comments came after voters in Okinawa rejected the relocation plan in a non-binding referendum over the weekend. Some 72 percent voted against the move, with 19 percent in favor in a vote that drew 52 percent of eligible voters, officials said.
Abe said he accepted the outcome and would seek 鈥渦nderstanding鈥 from Okinawa residents on his decision to move forward with the relocation.
Heavy US military presence in Okinawa has frustrated local residents with problems including noise and military accidents. To ease tensions, the US and Japan agreed in 1996 to move Futenma from its current heavily populated location to a remote coastal site.
Opponents of the move want to see the base relocated outside of Okinawa, arguing responsibility for hosting US troops should be more evenly spread across Japan.
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