[Site Fwd:Peace Philosophy Center]Nago Mayor Inamine, one year after the election: "The government must accept the all-Okinawa 'NO' to the new base."

Peace Philosophy Center
Nago Mayor Inamine, one year after the election: "The government must accept the all-Okinawa 'NO' to the new base."

Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011

A year has passed since Inamine Susumu won the Nago mayoral election of January 24, 2010, on the platform that he would not allow a new US military base to be built either on land or on the sea. A year later, he is firm and committed on his principle of creating a thriving community not dependent on subsidies in exchange for hosting bases. Here is a summary of Rykyu Shimpo's interview with Mayor Inamine, on January 20, 2011.

- How would you reflect the past year?

I won the election on the pledge that I would neither allow a new base on land nor on the sea. After the election, I repeatedly demanded the government to accept the result of this election. The Prime Minister and other ministers heard me, but they would not change their position, and reached the US-Japan joint statement on May 28 (one that confirm the two governments' intention to build a base in Henoko). Futenma issue is a big political challenge, and the situation now (under the DPJ government) is even worse than that of LDP/Komeito. In the last gubernatorial election, even Governor Nakaima, who had previously supported the Henoko base plan, changed his position and put forward an election agenda "to review the US-Japan agreement and to relocate MCAS Futenma to outside of Okinawa." This is the reality of Okinawa.

- What is your thought on the government's response?

The government's actions and words make me believe they are just trying to make US happy. The Japanese government should demand US for reduction of Okinawa's base burden instead of trying to convince Okinawa. I have stated that I will resolve the Futenma issue, but the situation has not changed unfortunately. I will keep fighting, gathering support from across Okinawa to keep my promise with people of Nago.

- The "Realignment Subsidy" (one given to base-hosting communities as base construction proceeds) was frozen by the government.

The "carrot and stick" nature ("carrot" as subsidies, and "stick" as base-hosting burden) of the government's policy has come to surface. I want to seek alternatives, with the help of Nago city staff members. This is a big challenge for the new year.

- Can you gain Nago citizens' support by "eonomic development plans" (subsidy programs)　?

The mayoral election (a year ago) was the result of Nago citizens' assessment of the last ten years of the development policies. We won't make the same mistake again. People of Nago hardly benefited from the "carrot" (subsidy income). We will no longer be lured into accepting a new base by the idea of further subsidy.

- How would you work with the Governor?

Governer (Nakaima) pledged for the Futenma base to move outside of prefecture. I would like to work with him wherever I can. (Regarding Nakaima's plan to visit US) If the Governor wants us (other municipal leaders) to go with him, it may be more effective. We have to work out details.

- What is your message to the government?

The voice of Okinawans is clear. Since the Nago election last January, most of the subsequent elections were won by candidates who opposed a new base in Okinawa. It is an all-Okinawa "NO." The government must accept this.

For more information on the current situation and the history of base opposition and political situations in Nago, see following articles.

READ MORE

Text Fwd: [famoksaiyanfriends] Latest News on Okinawa and Guam

* Texts fwd from Martha Duenas on July 20, 2010. [..] is by No base Stories of Korea.

White House Officials Headed to Guam
Pacific Daily News
July 20, 2010
By Dionesis Tamondong • July 20, 2010

Key decision-makers for the military buildup will be on Guam this week to speak with island officials about how concerns over the military's plans will be addressed.

[...]

The two Obama administration officials will be joined by Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Dorothy Robyn and representatives of various federal agencies involved in the resolution of those buildup issues. A public presentation will be held Friday to allow the community to ask agency representatives questions.

[..]

A final version of the EIS will be placed on the Federal Register and be available for public review by the last week of July.

After a 30-day waiting period, Pfannenstiel will identify which alternatives in the EIS plans have been approved. When the Record of Decision is made in September, many of the multibillion-dollar construction projects can begin.

The visit comes a week after news surfaced about a potential delay in the military buildup after major spending cuts were made in the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act, although those reductions aren't final yet.

_____________________________________________________________

Japan Reportedly Looking to Alter 2006 Futenma Agreement
Stars and Stripes
July 19, 2010

GINOWAN, Okinawa — Japan officials are seeking to modify a plan to build a new Marine air facility on Camp Schwab, according to Japanese media.

During working-level talks in Washington last week on plans to close Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and move the air units to a new facility in northeast Okinawa, Japanese negotiators proposed constructing just one 1,800-meter runway instead of the two V-shaped runways called for in the original 2006 agreement, according to Japanese media accounts citing unnamed sources.

During the two-day meeting they also proposed moving the runway offshore instead of stretching from the lower part of Camp Schwab onto reclaimed land in pristine Oura Bay, the media reports stated.

[...]

U.S. and Japanese officials declined to comment on details of the negotiations, which are to resume in Tokyo later this month. The two sides agreed in June to settle on specifics in August.

That election will be followed in November by the race for Okinawa governor, where the Futenma issue is expected to be a major factor.

In Washington, officials are taking a wait-and-see posture on the issue.

“We’re earnestly working through the technical details of the basing arrangement,” State Department spokesman Phillip J. Crowley told reporters Friday.

He said August remained the target date for agreeing on construction details. “But as to whether we’ll work through all the details, I can’t say at this point.”

Stars and Stripes reporter Chiyomi Sumida contributed to this report.

allend@pstripes.osd.mil

Text Fwd: Marines' Move to Guam from Okinawa May Be Delayed Up to 5 Years

* Text sent from Martha Duenas on June 3, 3010

Breitbart.com

WASHINGTON, May 31 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Japan and the United States have begun considering postponing the planned transfer of about 8,000 U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam to be completed three to five years later than the originally scheduled 2014, sources close to Japanese-U.S. ties said Monday.

The delay has come to be envisioned as the U.S. government is planning to compile an infrastructure plan worth several billion dollars at maximum for the Pacific island in July to address the shortage of infrastructure there, according to the sources and a U.S. official.

The two countries have agreed that the transfer of the Okinawa-based Marines and their family members to the U.S. territory is "dependent on tangible progress" on relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station to another site in Okinawa Prefecture.

A significant delay in the transfer, should it materialize, could affect the replacement facility's location, configuration and construction method, which the two countries said in their latest accord released Friday would be worked out by the end of August.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency pointed out in February that the island's infrastructure cannot keep up with a rapid population increase likely to be caused by the Marine transfer, an agency official in charge of the matter said.

The EPA and the U.S. Defense Department recently agreed in principle on concrete measures to address the lack of infrastructure on the island concerning potable water and sewage there.

The measures include one to curtail an inflow of people from outside the island, one of the sources close to bilateral ties said. The new infrastructure plan would be compiled in July after working out details, including how to finance it.

While the plan would be compiled on the premise that the infrastructure shortage should be addressed by 2014, another source close to the ties said it would be difficult for U.S. Congress to earmark enough funds by 2014 given a strain on U.S. finances and a likely delay in facility construction on Guam amid strong calls on the island's part for postponing the Marine transfer.

In a document submitted to the Defense Department in February, the EPA pointed out that as many as 79,000 people would come to Guam as workers to build military facilities in connection with the Marine transfer. That is roughly a 45 percent increase from the current population of about 180,000.

The agency criticized a draft environmental assessment submitted by the department last November as predicting an increase of only 23,000 people as a result of the Marine transfer project.

Guam Gov. Felix Camacho, while accepting the Marine transfer from Okinawa, has called for an extension in completing the transfer out of concern over the impact it would have on people's lives due to a lack of infrastructure on the island.

The Marines' transfer from Okinawa to Guam is a pillar of the bilateral agreement forged in 2006 to realign U.S. forces in Japan. Another is the controversial relocation of Futenma from the middle of an urban area to a coastal area of the Marines' Camp Schwab in Nago, where the latest bilateral agreement says a new facility would be built "without significant delay."

Both are designed to reduce the base-hosting burdens on the people of Okinawa, which shoulders roughly 75 percent of U.S. military facilities in Japan, while constituting just 0.6 percent of total Japanese land area.

Under a bilateral treaty signed in February last year under the previous government, Japan is to shoulder roughly $6.09 billion, including loans, in facilitating the Marine transfer to Guam, while the United States is to shoulder roughly $4.18 billion.

Text Fwd: US Dream Come True? The New Henoko Sea Base and Okinawan Resistance

* Text sent from Corazon Valdez Fabros on March 11, 2010
_____________________________________________________________________

* For other helpful articles and references, see the below (English/ Japanese).

Anatakara.com
Peace to Okinawa 　Peace to Guam

Peace Philosophy Center
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Nikkan Gendai Report on "Those Who Bought Henoko"
( *Text informed by Jean Downy and Makiko Sato)
_____________________________________________________________________

Japan Focus
US Dream Come True? The New Henoko Sea Base and Okinawan Resistance
By Makishi Yoshikazu
March 11, 2010

[Why is the news of a plan to move 7,000 US Marine troops from southern Okinawa to Guam creating no good vibes in Okinawa? Because nothing much is changing. The Japanese Government is proceeding with construction of a new US Marine Corps Air Station in Nago, to ‘replace’ the old Futenma base. Throughout the last decade, locals have resolutely fought the US military presence. Period. However, Tokyo and Washington have basically ridden roughshod over locals’ democratic expression of opposition, including, the outcome of the 1997 Nago citizens’ referendum against the relocation of Futenma to Henoko and, since April 2004, residents’ non-violent blockade action to prevent the government’s preliminary site investigations and ocean floor drilling.

In October 2005, Japan and the US reached agreement on plans to construct a military airport in Henoko, shifting the runway location from the shallow reef area slightly to the north and extending the runway from 1,500 to 1,800 m. [1] The new site, located within the US military facility and extended into the deeper Oura Bay, would effectively prevent entry by local protesters.

Okinawan researchers have recently uncovered documentary evidence refuting the claim that ‘Henoko is a Futenma substitute’: the plans call for a newly built upgraded military base using taxpayers’ money despite strong local opposition. The US military claims to be protecting global democracy. Respecting local democracy would be a good start . Miyume Tanji]

Henoko Protesters’ Non-violent Blockade Stops Government Investigation

It was just after sunrise when the boats appeared off the shore of Henoko on 19 April 2004. The boats belonged to the Security Facilities Bureau, Naha Branch, and they were there to conduct a geological survey. The Bureau planned to drill 63 holes under water. This action, which ignored necessary review and public notification procedures, blatantly violated Article 31 of Japan’s Environmental Impact Assessment Law. [2] The Henoko locals responded to this illegal action with a sit-in. They then canoed and swam out to the ocean in scuba gear and physically blocked the investigation by climbing the Bureau’s scaffolds. The protest spread nation-wide, attracting donations and participants to the round-the-clock direct action in Henoko as well as prompting sit-ins at the Diet in Tokyo. The boats for the blockade were provided by supporters, with local fisherpeople taking part. The Henoko locals’ non-violent action gained public support; so did their steely determination, not just to protest, but to stop, the government’s illegal site investigations. The sit-in and blockade continued until September 2, 2005, when the Bureau removed the scaffolds from the ocean, citing concern about typhoon damage. The protesters’ blockade had succeeded.

Meanwhile, Tokyo-Washington meetings for the comprehensive U.S. forces realignment had started. The new sea-based military base in Henoko was part of this realignment. ‘Tell the US that Okinawa will not accept any new base construction’, requested Yamauchi Tokushin and three other delegates from the Okinawan Citizens’ Conference against Futenma Relocation within Okinawa at a meeting with Defense Policy Chief and Director General of the Foreign Ministry’s North American Affairs Bureau. It was cold but, the diplomat, wiping sweat from the nape of his neck, said ‘we realize this must be hard for Okinawans’. From such comments, the delegates discerned that the Japanese government had not conveyed Okinawans’ collective will to the US, and was promoting relocation of Futenma to Henoko. On 29 October, a formal agreement was reached between Japan and US at the Joint Security Committee (referred to as the ‘two plus two meeting’). [3]

Strangely, the government of Japan calls this agreement an Interim Report, although nowhere in the document is it so referred to. I sense deceit in this government’s expression. The report is really meant to be the final agreement, yet it is not clearly presented as such.

New Plan of Futenma relocation to Henoko: a US-Japanese ‘Collaboration’, not a ‘Compromise’



At the preliminary two-plus-two meeting on October 24, 2005, the media reported, Japan argued against the US - taking an uncharacteristically bold position on the best location for the new base in Henoko. Japan allegedly ‘resisted’ the original ‘reef plan’ preferred by the US. This involved construction of a military airport on Cape Henoko, which is a shallow reef area and the habitat of rich marine life including dugongs. The reclamation of this reef has been fiercely opposed by environmentalists. Finally at the end of the meeting that dragged until early on the 26 th,, Japan ‘compromised’. The US and Japan agreed on a ‘coastal plan’, which involves construction of a runway covering an L-shaped area extending from the Henoko reef to Oura Bay, embracing Camp Schwab (see Figure 1). [4] However, Figure 1 indicates that the agreed construction method, far from being a compromise reached after long negotiation, was a collaborative scheme by the two governments to upgrade the capacity of the Futenma Marine Corps Air Station.

It is not just a military airport that the US forces want in Henoko. As specified in the relevant Department of Defense Executive Report issued on September 27 th, [5] US forces demanded a special facility called ‘CALA’, or the Combat Aircraft Loading Area within the new base to load ammunition and explosives on aircraft (see Figure 2). The document stipulates, furthermore, that ‘CALA’ needs to be at least 1,250 feet away from any occupied buildings. Currently only Kadena Air Base can meet these conditions and Futenma helicopters are flying to Kadena for loading purposes. The 1997 Executive Report requires a ‘CALA’ to be built next to the new sea-based Air Station because Kadena is too far away. It seems that the reason why the runway of the new Air Station was extended from 1,500 to 1,800 meters at the October two-plus-two meeting was to facilitate a special loading zone.

According to the 1997 Executive Report, the direction of the new runway was decided following research conducted in 1966. In December 1966, in a ‘Master Plan of Navy Facilities on Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands’, [6] the US Navy recommended construction of a 3,000-meter airfield on reclaimed Henoko coral reef to be used by the marines. In addition, it also designed a military port in adjacent Oura Bay (Figure 3) for Navy use. The location of the airfield’s runway in Figure 3 is almost identical to that in the 1997 Executive Report (Figure 2). Figure 3 also depicts a ‘pier’. This pier appears to be simply a variation of the military port proposed in the 1966 Master Plan. In sum, the US wants not just a runway, but also a loading facility and a military port. At the 2005 two-plus-two meeting, the two governments agreed on the construction of ‘a pier for refueling and relevant facilities’, that is, nothing less than a military port: Oura Bay is more than 20 meters deep, enough for a nuclear aircraft carrier to enter alongside the pier.


There are further issues. In the area targeted for the new military airport in the October Agreement, there are historical ruins, the local newspaper Okinawa Taimusu reported. The astonishing thing is that the 1997 Executive Report acknowledged the cultural ruins on the south side of the area as one of the factors militating against airfield development. In short, the Department of Defense in 1997 judged that the ruins in the coastal area posed potential difficulties for the new military base construction. However, the Agreement in October 2005 designated the whole southern coastal area as the future site for the airfield replacing Futenma, despite the US forces’ understanding that the area was problematic. So, why is it OK now? Perhaps the Japanese government promised to legalize the construction by enacting a new law, such as a Special Measures Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties, that makes an exception for the needs of US forces. [7] With the 2005 ‘coastal plan’, the US and Japan are attempting a ‘hat trick’: an Agreement on the construction of a military airport, a special loading zone, and a military port – three new facilities – in Henoko. The construction, far from being a compromise, is the joint work of the two states. The plan is clearly unacceptable. Nago citizens have already rejected the new base construction in the referendum on December 21 1997 even without knowing all that the plan entailed.

Respect the democratic will of local citizens. Stop the Henoko military airport construction plan. This is precisely what the US military has long sought. Blocking the plan is a step toward protecting democracy worldwide.

Makishi Yoshikazu is a Naha born Okinawan architect. Since working for Okinawa SÅ gÅ Jimukyoku (Okinawa Development Agency), he has designed award-winning buildings for Okinawa Christian Junior College, Sakima Museum and many others. He has also been a long-term environmentalist and peace activist in Okinawa. [8]

Translated by Miyume TANJI from a chapter in Makishi’s Okinawa wa Kichi o Kyozetsu Suru (Okinawa Refuses Bases). Tanji’s book Myth, Protest and Struggle in Okinawa will be published by RoutledgeCurzon in 2006


Endnotes:

[1] See Miyagi Yasuhiro, ' Okinawa - Rising Magma’, Japan Focus, posted 4 December 2005.

[2] According to the Law, any environmental impact assessment activities can be started only after the publication of a document that explains the methods of such activities reviewed by the Ministry of Environment and relevant ministries/agencies (Article 31).

[3] See ‘Security Consultative Document, U.S.-Japan Alliance: Transformation and Realignment for the Future’ by State Secretary Rice, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, Minister of Foreign Affairs Machimura, and Minister of Defense for State Ohno, October 29 2005, available.

[4] ‘Futenma Isetsu, Bei ga Henoko Oki ShÅ«seian’ (The US alternative suggestion on Futenma Relocation to Henoko), Asahi Shimbun 25 October 2005; ‘ Japan, U.S. Agree on New Futenma site’ Japan Times 27 October 2005.

[5] The U.S. Department of Defense, ‘Executive Report: Sea-Based Facility, Functional Analysis and Concept of Operations, MCAS Futenma Relocation’ ( 3 September 1997), held by the Okinawa Prefecture Military Base Affairs Division.

[6] Daniel, Mann, Johnson, & Mendenhall, Master Plan of Navy Facilities on Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, prepared for the Department of Defense (Dec. 29, 1966), held in the Okinawa Prefecture Archives.

[7] In December 2005, the government discussed special legislation to deprive local governments of authority over public water reclamation projects precisely in order to restrict the power of Okinawan Governor Inamine, who is opposed to the new ‘coastal plan’. Similar special legislation (related to US Military Special Measures Law) was passed in April 1997, which removed local government’s power to authorize lease of privately owned land occupied by the US military facilities, when a landowner refused to consent.

[8] On Makishi’s activities as anti-war landowner and marine conservationist, see Miyume Tanji, Myth, Protest and Struggle in Okinawa, RoutledgeCurzon, London (forthcoming).


Posted at Japan Focus
--
si Debbie Quinata
I Nasion Chamoru
P.O. Box 6132
Merizo, Guam 96916
(671) 828-2957

Petition Fwd: Sign petition to stop new base in Henoko, Okinawa

FOR ORGANIZATION ENDORSEMENT to the letter below:

"Please respond to Peter Galvin ( pgalvin@biologicaldiversity.org )
by 5PM, PST Tuesday, December 1.

아래의 편지에 대한 단체 서명은 피터 갈빈 (pgalvin@biologicaldiversity.org) 에게 12월 1일 태평양 시간 5시까지 하시길.

"Please forward this action alert widely. We are seeking to deliver 100,000 letters to President Obama immediately."
이 일을 넓게 공유해 주세요. 우리는 대통령 오바마에게 10만 여장의 편지를 즉시 보내려 합니다.

FOR INDIVIDUAL SIGN, Go to HERE.
개인 서명은 위의 글자 HERE을 클릭하신 후 마우스를 아래로 내려가 하시길.

* Image source: Dugongs Network OKINAWA

* Image source: Center for Biological Diversity

* Image source: Green Peace

* E mail forward from Makiko Sato and Hibiki Yamaguchi(Thru No US Bases)on Nov. 25, 2009

' Our new cabinet in Japan is considering reduction in military budget for next year, which is good, but it has approved the continued PAC3 deployment as was planned under previous cabinet.
As for the plan to construct a new airbase in Henoko, Okinawa, our prime minister is hesitating to decide, before mayoral election in Nago in Dec, whether to choose Henoko.
This is a difficult problem. Guam will be in trouble when 8,000 US marine troops and the families moves in from Okinawa. Small islands always suffer.
Maybe some consolidate movement is necessary for all the indigenous peoples in the Pacific.' (Makiko Sato)
____________________________________________________________________

Email from Peter Galvin, forwarded from an Okinawan engaged in the joint efforts with him

Please respond to Peter Galvin ( pgalvin@biologicaldiversity.org ) by 5PM, PST Tuesday, December 1. Please forward to other NGO's that may be interested in signing on.


"Dear Colleague,

친애하는 여러분께,

In Okinawa, Japan almost 400 types of coral form reefs that support more than 1,000 species of fish, marine mammals, and sea turtles. This incredible array of life makes the island second only to Australia's Great Barrier Reef in terms of marine biodiversity.

일본 오키나와섬 [근해]에서 거의 400 종류의 산호들이 1000여개 종 이상의 물고기, 해양 생물들, 바다 거북등의 안식처가 되는 군락을 형성하고 있읍니다. 이 믿을 수 없는 생명의 배열은 해양 생물 다양성에 관한 한 섬을 호주의 그레리터 배리어 산호초 다음가게 합니다.

Tragically, a military project backed by the U.S. government threatens to doom a critically important coral reef near Henoko and destroy vital habitat for numerous rare wildlife species, including the dugong ? an endangered marine mammal related to the manatee and cultural icon in Japan ? and three species of sea turtle. Local residents voted against the airbase project in a referendum, but Japanese and U.S. authorities are ignoring their voices.

불행하게도, 미국 정부에 의해 뒷받침되는 군사 프로젝트는 헤노코 근처 절대적으로 중요한 산호초를 파멸시키고 듀공-바다소와 관련있고 일본의 문화적 상징이기도 한-과 3 종류의 바다 거북들을 포함한 무수한 희귀 야생종들의 필수적인 거주지들을 파괴시키려 위협합니다. 지역 주민들은 투표에서 공군 기지 프로젝트에 반대하였읍니다. 그러나 일본과 미국 당국은 그들의 목소리를 무시하고 있읍니다.

In July of 2004, 889 of the world’s leading coral scientists and researchers from 83 countries gathered at the 10th International Coral Reef Symposium in Okinawa, where they signed a petition in opposition to the airbase project. And the federal district of California district
court has already determined that the project cannot proceed without the appropriate environmental review.

2004년 7월, 83개국에서 온 889명의 세계적 산호 과학자들과 연구자들이 오키나와에서 열린 제 10회 국제 산호 심포지움에 모여 공군 기지에 반대하는 청원에 서명했읍니다. 그리고 캘리포니아 연방 지방 법원은 그 프로젝트가 저절한 환경 심의없이는 진행될 수 없다고 결론 지었읍니다.

We need your help and support to stop this misguided project. Construction of the new airbase would cause severe ecological damage to one of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. For this reason, we’re asking your organization to sign a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to cancel the base construction plan.

우리는 이 잘못된 프로젝트를 중단하기 위해 당신의 도움과 지지를 필요로 합니다. 새 공군 기지의 건설은 지구상 가장 다양한 생태계의 하나에 심각한 생태학적 손상을 가져올 것입니다. 이러한 이유로 우리는 여러분의 조직이 바락 오바마 대통령에게 이 기지 건설 계획을 취소할 것을 촉구하는 편지에 서명해주실 것을 요청합니다.

Adding your voice to this effort will help greatly in the effort to protect the dugong and one of the most biologically significant places on Earth. Thank you very much for your support.

이 노력에 여러분의 목소리를 더하는 것은 듀공과 지구상 생물학적으로 가장 중요한 장소를 보호하는 노력에 크게 기여할 것입니다. 여러분의 성원에 감사합니다.

Sincerely,

성심으로

Peter Galvin 피터 갈빈
Conservation Director 보존 감독
Center for Biological Diversity 생물 다양성 센터
Phone: (707) 986-2600　 Email: pgalvin@biologicaldiversity.org"

____________________________________________________________________
December 2, 2009
2009년 12월 2일

RE: PROPOSED U.S. MILITARY AIR BASE NEAR HENOKO, OKINAWA

오키니와 헤노코 근처 제안된 미국 공군 기지에 대하여

Dear President Obama, Secretary Clinton, Secretary Gates, and Ambassador Roos:

친애하는 오바마 대통령, 클린턴 국무 장관, 게이츠 국방 장관, 그리고 로스 대사관에게

The island of Okinawa has been called the “Galapagos of the East” because of the incredible variety of marine and terrestrial life it supports. Unfortunately, a joint military project proposed by the U.S. and Japanese governments threatens to destroy one of the last healthy coral reef ecosystems in Okinawa, pushing many magnificent species to the brink of extinction. You have the power to protect these unique and priceless creatures.

오키나와 섬은 믿을 수 없을 정도로 다양한 해양 생물과 그것이 먹여살리는 지상의 생물들 때문에 “동양의 갈라파고스”로 불리웠읍니다. 불행히도, 미국과 일본 정부에 의해 제안된 공동 군사 프로젝트는 매우 중요한 종들을 멸종 위기로 몰아가며 오키나와의 마지막 건강한 산호초 생태계 시스템을 파괴하려 위협합니다. 당신은 이 독특하고 값으로 셀 수 없는 이 창조물들을 보호할 힘을 갖고 있읍니다

Under a 2006 bilateral agreement, U.S. and Japanese governments agreed to relocate the contentious U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station to Camp Schwab and Henoko Bay. This short-sighted plan does not take into consideration that the relocation will destroy a valued ecosystem, including the nearly 400 types of coral that form Okinawa’s reefs and support more than 1,000 species of fish. It will also adversely impact imperiled sea turtles and marine mammals.

2006년 양자 협약에 의해 미국과 일본 정부는 논란많은 미 해병대 후텐마 공군 기지를 캠프 슈와브와 헤노코 만에 재배치하는데 동의했읍니다. 이 짧은 안목의 계획은 이 재배치 계획이 오키나와 산호초 군락을 형성하고 1000여종 이상의 물고기들을 지원하는 400여종 산호초를 포함하는 가치있는 생태 시스템을 파괴할 거란 것을 염두에 두지 않습니다.

Current plans call for construction of the new military base near Henoko and Oura bays in Okinawa. But the habitat this project would destroy supports numerous endangered species ? animals protected by American, Japanese, and international law for their biological and cultural importance. These species include:

현행 계획은 오키나와 헤노코와 오우라만 근처 새 군사 기지를 청합니다. 그러나 이 프로젝트가 파괴할 서식지들은 생물과 문화적 중요성으로 미국, 일본, 국제법이 보호하는 무수한 멸종 위기 종들을 살게 하는 곳들입니다. 이 종들은 다음의 것들을 포함하는데:

Okinawa dugong: The critically endangered and culturally treasured dugong, a manatee-like creature, relies on this habitat for its very survival in Okinawa. Japan’s Mammalogical Society placed the dugong on its “Red List of Mammals,” estimating the population in Okinawa to be
critically endangered. The U.S. government’s Marine Mammal Commission and the United Nations Environmental Program fear the project would pose a serious threat to this mammal’s survival. The World Conservation Union’s dugong specialists have expressed similar concerns and have placed the dugong on their Red List of threatened species. The Okinawa dugong is also a federally listed endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

오키나와 듀공: 바다소와 같은 생물로서 치명적으로 멸종 위기에 있고 문화적으로 귀중히 여겨지는 듀공은 자신의 곧 생존을 위해 오키나와의 서식지에 의존합니다. 일본의 포유학 사회는 오키나와의 듀공이 치명적으로 멸종 위기에 놓인 것으로 평가, 듀공을 “포유 동물 레드 리스트”에 올려 놓았읍니다. 미국 정부 해양 포유 동물 위원회와 유엔 환경 프로그램은 그 프로젝트가 이 포유동물의 생존에 심각한 위협을 끼칠것을 두려워합니다. 세계 보존 위원회의 듀공 전문가들 유사한 우려를 표현해왔으며 듀공을 멸종 위기 종 레드 리스트에 올려놓았읍니다. 오키나와 듀공은 미국 멸종 위기 종 조례아래 연방 차원 멸종 위기 종 이기도 합니다.

The Okinawa dugong has extreme cultural significance to the Okinawan people, and only about 50 dugongs are thought to remain in these waters. The base construction will crush the last remaining critical habitat for the Okinawa dugong, destroying feeding trails and seagrass beds essential for dugong survival.

오키나와 듀공은 오키나와 사람들에게 지고의 문화적 중요성을 띠고 있으며 이 바다에 약 50여 마리만 남아 있는 것으로 추정됩니다. 기지 건설은 오키나와 듀공 에게 마지막 남아 있는 결정적 거주지들을 짓밟을 것입니다. 듀공의 생존을 위해 필수적인 먹이 사슬과 바다해초 지대들을 파괴하면서요.

Sea turtles: Three types of endangered sea turtle ? the hawksbill, loggerhead, and green ? also depend on this ecosystem. These turtles are listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the global Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The turtles use nearby beaches to feed and lay their eggs. The construction and operation of the new base will cause water and air pollution, create artificial light pollution, and increase human activity ? all of which are harmful to sea turtle survival.

바다 거북: 세 종의 멸종 위기 바다 거북들-혹스빌, 붉은 거북, 녹색 거북-역시 이 생태계에 의존합니다. 이 거북들은 미국 멸종 위기 종 조례와 멸종 위기 국제 무역에 관한 지구 협약에 등재되어 있읍니다. 이 거북들은 알들을 키우고 낳기 위해 근처 해안을 이용합니다. 새로운 기지의 건설과 작동은 물과 공기 오염, 인공 조명 오염, 그리고 인간 행동의 증가를 가져오는데 이 모두는 바다 거북의 생존에 유해합니다.

Many plant and animal species are still being discovered in Henoko Bay. Since the base plan was announced, new types of seagrass ? a vital staple food for the dugong ? and mollusks have been discovered on the project site. New wonders of nature are found here each year.

많은 식물과 동물종들이 아직도 헤노코 만에서 발견됩니다. 기지 건설이 알려진 후로 듀공의 필수적인 식량이 되는 새로운 타입의 해초대와 연체 동물들이 프로젝트 장소에서 발견되읍니다. 자연의 새로운 경이들이 매년 여기서 발견됩니다.

The base plan would devastate dugong habitat in Henoko Bay and nearby Oura Bay, and would be extremely harmful to turtles, fish, coral, and other marine life. The recently elected Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and the Democratic Party of Japan have expressed the desire to renegotiate the 2006 agreement and cancel plans to relocate the base. You have the ability and duty to alter the course of this devastating plan, but time is of the essence. We urge you to direct the U.S. secretaries of defense and state to cancel this project immediately.

이 기지 건설은 헤노코만과 근처 오우라만 듀공 서식지를 황폐화시킬 것입니다. 그리고 거북이들, 물고기들, 산호와 다른 해양 생물들에 매우 위험할 것입니다. 최근 선출된 수상 유키오 하토야마와 일본의 민주당은 2006년 협정을 재 협상하고 기지를 재배치 계획을 취소하려는 욕구를 표현한 바 있읍니다. 당신은 이 황폐화 계획을 변경할 능력과 임무를 지녔읍니다. 그러나 시간이 문제입니다. 우리는 당신이 국무 장관과 국방 장관으로 하여금 이 프로젝트를 즉시 취소하도록 지시할 것을 촉구합니다.

By canceling the plan to construct an airbase near Henoko Bay, you will protect a globally important ocean ecosystem and some of the best remaining habitat for the Okinawa dugong. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has designated the 2010 Year for Biodiversity as the year of the dugong. Please cancel this destructive project and ensure that the Okinawa dugong has a fighting chance at celebrating its importance in 2010 and years to come.

헤노코 만 근처 공군 기지를 건설하는 계확을 취소 함으로써 당신은 전지구적으로 중요한 해양 생태 시스템과 남아있는 오키나와 듀공 최고 서식지중 몇 곳을 보호하게 될 것입니다. 이 파괴적인 계획을 취소하고 오키나와 듀공이 2010년과 다가오는 해들에 자신의 중요성을 축하하며 싸울 기회를 갖게 하십시오.

Sincerely,

성심으로

A coalition of hundreds of U.S and international conservation groups representing several million people, as listed on the following pages, have called for the base plan to be cancelled and for the protection of the dugong and the precious ocean habitat of Okinawa.

다음 페이지에 기록된 수백만을 대표하는 수백의 미국과 국제 보존 그룹이 기지 계획을 취소하고 듀공을 보호하며 오키나와의 귀중한 해양 서식지를 보호하기 위해 소리를 높였읍니다.

cc: Director Karen Kelley, Office of Japanese Affairs, U.S. Department of State; John J. Kim, Bureau of Oceans, International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, U.S. Department of State; Deputy Assistant Secretary David A Balton, Office of Oceans and Fisheries, U.S. Department of State; George T. Frampton, Chair of the U.S. Council on Environmental Quality

CC: 카렌 켈리 감독, 미국 국무부 일본 담당/ 존 킴, 국무부 해양, 국제 환경 과학 담당 부서/ 데이비드 볼턴 차관보, 미 국무부 해양 어업국/ 조지 프램톤, 환경 질을 위한 미국 위원회 의장

SIGNATORIES

서명자:

Center for Biological Diversity

Text Fwd: Your Help Needed for Okinawa

Forward from Corazon Valdez Fabros on Nov 5, 2009

Your Help Needed for Okinawa
E mail from Osamu NIIKURA (oniikura@als.aoyama.ac.jp) on Nov. 5, 2009

Dear Friends,

This is Osamu Niikura, Japan Lawyers International Solidarity Association who want your help. As you might know, President Barak Obama is going to visit Japan after his acceptance of Nobel Peace Prize of 2009. On this very occasion we want to express our statement for help and support toward Okinawan People in their fight against further enlargement of US military bases on their soil.

Your Help is Needed! Urgently!!

The US government, headed by Obama, is pressing on their will to maintain or even strengthen the function of military bases in Okinawa , Japan .

They demand Hatoyama Government, coalition with Socialist Democratic Party and Japan New Party, to keep an old compromise laid down with LDP government and US. It is called “SACO accord”, but in reality nothing but a compromise squeezed out by the Pentagon in face of vast protests and resistances of Okinawan People after the heinous rape crime against 12-year-old school girl in the middle of Okinawa in 1995.

Against the pressure made by Defense Secretary Gates and his subordinates as well as the Commander of the Pacific Force, Okinawan people is going to hold a big rally on November 8th, 2009 to demand immediate return of Futenma Air Field, now used by the US Marine Corps, and to refuse construction of new helicopter base off shore of the beautiful Henoko, Nago City, Okinawa.

Please disseminate this attached statement, and call back to us in support for Okinawan people in their brave fight against US militarism.

In solidarity,

Osamu Niikura

President, JALISA
Secretary General, IADL

CONTACT: oniikura@als.aoyama.ac.jp; leh00076@nifty.ne.jp; jsasamoto@acacialaw.org

The Japan Lawyers International Solidarity Association
Ito Building 2nd Floor, Yotsuya 1-2, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0004, Japan
Telephone +81-3-3225-1020; Fax +81-3-3225-1025; leh00076@nifty.ne.jp

*************************************************************
Statement on the Futenma Marine Corps Air Station Issue

In Solidarity with the Okinawa People's Rally on November 8, 2009

1. The US military maintains large military bases on Okinawa Island , and in particular has not returned Futenma Marine Corps Air Station, a helicopter base which is right in the middle of a residential area with educational facilities. The tranquility of the residents’ daily lives is threatened, and their right to live in peace is egregiously infringed by the roar of aircraft and by a helicopter crash on a university campus.

2. An atrocity committed against a girl in September 1995 triggered a rally by Okinawans which made resolutions including the downsizing and contraction of US bases and revision of the Status of Forces Agreement. This intent was confirmed by a prefectural referendum in September 1996. In April of that year the US government itself had promised to return Futenma Air Station. However, in exchange the US government made demands including the construction of an offshore heliport near Henoko, Nago City , and the shouldering of costs by the Japanese government to relocate 8,000 Marines. The US government has therefore been refusing to quickly return Futenma Air Station.

The Henoko coastal zone is habitat for the dugong, which is a designated endangered species and is protected internationally. Hence heliport construction is a serious matter in terms of environmental protection as well. On January 24, 2008 (local time), the US Federal District Court in San Francisco rendered a decision in the “Okinawa Dugong Lawsuit” filed by Japanese and US environmental organizations against the US Department of Defense, and ruled that the Defense Department violated the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) by not assessing and considering factors including impacts on the dugongs. Additionally, the start of construction for the new base has been delayed over 10 years because of a tenacious opposition movement by locals.

3. Japan ’s government changed in the general elections this August. The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), which became the new ruling party, showed its understanding of the feelings of Okinawans and made a campaign pledge that it would relocate Futenma Air Station to another prefecture or outside of Japan . But US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates visited Japan this October and vigorously pressed Japan to build the new base, using as his justification the accord made between the Japanese and US governments when the Liberal Democratic Party held the reigns of government. In response, the defense minister of the new Hatoyama government announced that Japan will sanction the construction of the new offshore base at Henoko, while the foreign minister stated that the government would consider consolidating Futenma Air Station with Kadena Air Base, also in Okinawa Prefecture . Once again, the right of Okinawans and other Japanese to live in peace is being treated with contempt.

4. Against worldwide calls for peace, the US government reaction to the voice of public conscience demanding peace without resorting to force has been to carry on with the military forces realignment program of the previous administration, and seek to maintain and reinforce US military power. Reinforcing US military bases raises military tensions in Asia and entrenches the Cold-War structure in Northeast Asia , which is the only place in the world were it remains. At the root of this problem is the Japan-US Security Treaty, which recognizes Japan ’s obligation to provide the US with bases. This military alliance is a relic of the Cold War era and must be cancelled immediately.

5. The International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) Congress held in Hanoi this June also resolved to oppose the construction of new military bases in Okinawa , and confirmed implementation of the Global Article 9 Campaign, which strives for dispute resolution that does not rely on military force.

6. We align ourselves in solidarity with the November 8 prefectural rally for opposition to base construction, and seek the speedy return of Futenma Marine Corps Air Station. Additionally, we call for international solidarity to oppose construction of new US military bases in Okinawa, the rest of Japan , and the rest of Asia .

October 30, 2009

Japan Lawyers International Solidarity Association Executive Board

Osamu Niikura, President

Jun Sasamoto, Secretary-General

Text fwd: From Okinawa: NO NATO Event to participate

* Image Source*
http://www.geocities.jp/teruo024/start.htm

Fwd from Teruo Onishi "大西 照雄" and Agatha Haun on March 26, 2009

From the Sea Dugongs in OKINAWA　

(Okinawa is a strategic colony of the Japanese government and the U.S.
government!）

Death of a Marine

March 23, killing one Marine Corps base at Camp Schwab, the accident injured
two people. Report of the accident is the first waste treatment. The flag to
half-staff to astrocytes. "Disgrace" that the U.S. military death is shown. Today's practice of "blink burn" seems to be a shooting spree.

Okinawa prefectural assembly, the opposite of a new station
March 25, the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly "agreement Marines relocation to
Guam," minority report was adopted. Okinawa, Japan and the U.S. government
lies, and an insight into someone's cheating. Impose the rule of permanent
military bases in Okinawa to Guam excuse. Okinawa Congress to create a U.S.
military base in Guam and Okinawa in Japan's money is an abnormal
relationship between the United States, "to oppose construction of a new
station coastal HENOKO" is adopted.

NO NATO Event Participate

Southern Japan, from Strasbourg to participate in the event of U.S. military
bases in Okinawa, an island in the East. His base in Okinawa, Okinawa
Prefecture resistance, and I would like to report the destruction of natural
ecosystems and on military bases.

CD present.
Hotel Citea Strasboug ILLkirch.

We are a removal of U.S. military bases and for 64 years. Stop the
construction of 12 new Marine Corps air station. We will take our leaflets.
The photo in the history of our struggle. Dugong in the sea and the
construction of the base "coral museum" was a photo of the CD. It's a gift
to the Friends of the World Peace for the elderly HENOKO. FREE. I hope to
deepen friendship and peace and environmental groups in Europe.

Teruo Onishi

Board Member, The Dugong Preservation Fund
Captain of The Heiwa-Maru Fund
Chairman of Nago Peace Committee
Co-Chair, Conference Opposing Heliport Construction (Nago City)

Text Fwd: Guam Residents Unhappy About Relocation of US Marines from

Fwd by Debbie Quinata, Agatha Haun


Video fwd: Guam Take me back



Guam Residents Unhappy About Relocation of US Marines from
Okinawa
Original source by Akahata (Japan)
3-14-09, 10:21 am

Residents of Guam are so reluctant to accept the US Marines to be stationed
on the island of US territory in the Pacific, that the Guam governor would
sign the ordinance passed by the Guam Legislature to hold a referendum over
the planned reinforcement of US forces in Guam, said the speaker of the Guam
Territorial Legislature.

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Inoue Satoshi
heard this while he was visiting Guam on March 8-9 while leading a JCP
investigation team in preparation for the upcoming parliamentary discussion
on the so-called Guam Agreement recently signed by Japanese Foreign Minister
Nakasone Hirofumi and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The agreement,
if it comes into force after being approved by both countries, will force
Japan to pay the costs for constructing US military facilities on Guam.

Speaker of Guam's Territorial Legislature Judith Won Pat and representatives
of residents' organizations in meetings with the JCP team proved that the
Japanese government's argument that Guam is welcoming the US Marine Corps
(USMC) to be relocated to Guam is false.

In May 2006, the Japanese and US governments reached the final agreement on
the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, which included the relocation of
8,000 US Marines and 9,000 families from Okinawa to Guam as well as Japan's
payment of about 6.1 billion dollars as part of the cost for the USMC
relocation project totaling about 10.3 billion dollars.

On February 17, the two governments agreed to remake the roadmap, including
the payment of the 6.1 billion dollars, into an official treaty entitled:

AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CONCERNING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RELOCATION OF III MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE PERSONNEL AND THEIR DEPENDENTS FROM OKINAWA TO GUAM.

After visiting the site for the construction of the new USMC facilities, the
JCP investigation team met with landowners and residents.

On March 9, after a briefing from Japan's consul general in Guam, they met
and held about two hours of talks with Speaker of Guam's Territorial
Legislature Won Pat.

The Speaker stated that the US Department of Defense has provided Guam with
little information concerning the relocation plan and that no public opinion
survey has been held on this issue. She expressed anxieties over further
contamination from sewage water from the new military facilities as well as
possible sexual assaults by the increased presence of Marines.

She referred to Guam's Governor Felix P. Camacho, who is expected to sign
the bill to hold a referendum on the relocation issue.

Specifically on the Japan-US agreement on the USMC Guam relocation, which is
expected to be discussed in Japan's Diet, she stressed that the Diet is
called upon to listen to Guam and that she is ready to provide information
concerned to any Japanese political parties.

On the USFJ realignment issue, she indicated the possibility that additional
units will come to a new US base to be constructed in the Henoko district of
Nago City, even after a part of the US Marines are moved to Guam.

The JCP team toured the island guided by a representative of the Chamorro
Nations, an organization of aboriginals in Guam.

Upon watching CNN news reports on mass layoffs sweeping Japan, they said
that they don't understand why Japan has agreed to pay so much money for a
foreign government instead of stimulating the Japanese economy.

Guam's landowners association chief Antonio told Inoue that he has not been
paid a penny by the military every since his land was taken for use by the
U.S. Andersen Air Base. He expressed worries over an additional
expropriation of land as a result of the USMC Guam relocation.

JCP Inoue stated, "It is extraordinary for Japan to use tax money for the
construction of a military base on foreign territory. I want to convey Guam
people's voices to the Japanese Diet so that the new Guam Agreement will be
rejected."

Posted by Added Entry at 11:21

si Debbie Quinata <dquinata@gmail.com>
I Nasion Chamoru
P.O. Box 6132
Merizo, Guam 96916
(671) 828-2957