New mayor tells Nago: Nix Futenma

NAGO, Okinawa Pref. (Kyodo) Nago Mayor-elect Susumu Inamine said Monday he will seek passage of a resolution opposing the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to the city, a day after he won an election that could have an impact on the 2006 bilateral accord to move the base to his area.

Susumu Inamine KYODO PHOTO

Inamine's victory will make it less likely that Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama will seek to abide by the 2006 accord to relocate the air base to the Henoko area at Camp Schwab.

"I want to convey the will of the Nago residents to the central and prefectural governments" by passing a resolution at the city assembly, Inamine, 64, said after beating the incumbent, who had expressed a willingness to accept the relocation plan.

"So many military bases are concentrated in Okinawa. I expect the government to examine national security as an issue for the whole country, rather than seeking an alternative relocation site (for the Futenma facility) within Okinawa," he said.

Voter turnout was 76.96 percent, up 1.98 percentage points from the previous election, with Inamine garnering 17,950 votes, while Yoshikazu Shimabukuro, the incumbent, attracted 16,362, according to the municipal election board.

The race was closely watched by Hatoyama, who said he will factor the result into his decision on whether to relocate Futenma air station from the densely populated city of Ginowan farther north to less-crowded Nago, or transfer it outside the prefecture.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano said Monday that when considering where to relocate the base, the central government doesn't need to take into account Sunday's election.

He said a government committee studying the relocation issue will not exclude the current plan, adding that the panel will search for "the best place" from a clean slate.

But Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima put more weight on the local decision.

"We must respect the judgment of local residents," he said in Naha. "But I can't really say anything until I see the outcome of the central government's relocation review."

Inamine beat Shimabukuro, 63, who was OK with the plan if the government led by Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan fulfilled the bilateral accord.

Under the 2006 deal reached with Japan's previous government, which was led by the conservative Liberal Democratic Party, Nago, which has a population of about 60,000, would build a new airfield along the coast of Camp Schwab to accommodate Futenma.

Inamine campaigned until Saturday, vowing not to allow another base into Nago and to finally end the long-standing dispute, which has long divided the city.

Shimabukuro made virtually no mention of the relocation issue, arguing it is a matter that neither a mayor nor the local people should decide.

Instead, he highlighted the achievements of his four-year term, including the creation of 1,000 jobs by luring companies from outside the city and maintaining economic stability by taking advantage of base-related subsidies provided by the central government.

Inamine ran as an independent but had support from the DPJ, the Social Democratic Party, Kokumin Shinto (People's New Party) and the Japanese Communist Party.

Shimabukuro was backed by the LDP and New Komeito.