Okinawans vote no

A nonbinding referendum rejects base relocation plan

The residents of Japan’s southwestern island region of Okinawa in a referendum have rejected a relocation plan for a US military base, increasing pressure on the central government to change its stance that the facility will be built regardless.

The results of Sunday’s vote showed 72.2 percent opposed the plan for the Marine air base being built on a landfill in coastal Henoko. Voter support for the relocation plan totaled 19.1 percent.

The referendum is not legally binding but underlines Okinawans’ sentiment on the relocation plan.

Henoko would replace another base on the island in Futenma that is in a more residential area and has long been criticized as noisy and dangerous. The US military, while declining comment on the referendum, has said the Henoko agreement is needed for regional security.

Critics said coral reefs and wildlife such as dugong would be hurt by the base. Many people in Okinawa want Futenma closed but think the rest of Japan should help by sharing in the burden of hosting US troops.

Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki, who spearheaded the referendum, said the results must be respected.

“This holds extremely important meaning,” he said on Monday after the tally came in.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters early on Monday that the government accepted the feelings of Okinawa’s people but stressed the Henoko plan won’t change.

The government has repeatedly said the relocation plan will move ahead, regardless of the referendum.

“It has been 20 years since Japan and the US agreed” to relocate the Futenma base, Abe said. “We cannot delay this any further.”

Tamaki has said he hopes to deliver the results of the referendum to US President Donald Trump.

Although Okinawa makes up less than 1 percent of Japan’s land space, it houses about half of the 54,000 US troops stationed in Japan, and is home to 64 percent of the land used by the US bases in the country under a bilateral security treaty.