Mayor-Election in Nago says NO to US military Base

Most people around the world might have no interest in such news, but it is a big and serious issue to the people in Nago, which is a rural area in Okinawa, an American military-base occupied island in the southern part of Japan. It seems that the result of the election might have an effect on Japanese and the US relation, and a lot of people in Okinawa are anxious for a change.



Of course, the result was given top priority in the local newspapers in Okinawa, and it was reported as a short article in The New York Times.



According to the article, mayor-election took place in a small city on 25th January, last Sunday and people chose 'a candidate who opposes the relocation of an American air base on Okinawa.' The result puts pressure on the new Japanese Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, because the agreement has already been made between Japanese government, before Hatoyama, and the US in disregard for the people there. The former Japanese government accepted to relocate and build a new air base along the shore in Nago, even though this would cause of destroying coral reefs, exposing ocean wild life, such as dugongs inhabit there to a danger of extinction.



There are about 50,000 US military personnel in Japan and almost half of them are now in Okinawa. People complain about an 'unfair burden' such as noises, accidents, crime and destruction of nature.



Hatoyama promised to move the US military base out of Okinawa during his election campaign last September, and he won. It seems, however, that Barack Obama is indifferent to him and might not concede a change of the plan to construct a new base. In the article of The Wall Street Journal, the writers say, 'Sundy's election doesn't necessarily kill the plan', but Okinawan people are expecting Hatoyama to keep his word and make a right decision that would be made in May.