VOX POPULI: Islanders on margins of mainland democracy

Among the sobering words I have heard while working as a reporter, the statement, "I've had it with democracy," is especially memorable.

The words, spoken in a tone of agony, belonged to Chojo Oyama, former mayor of Koza (now Okinawa), Okinawa Prefecture, who died about 10 years ago at age 97.

A former educator, Oyama lost his two sons, daughter, mother and older brother in the Battle of Okinawa. After World War II, he became a politician and continued to say, "We don't need (U.S. military) bases."

But the bases did not decrease. Democracy by and for the Japanese mainland was forcing the island to suffer, he used to say. His deep disappointment at the Japanese government underlined the words "I've had it."

The people of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, raised objections to plans to accept the relocation of one such military base, the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan in the prefecture.

In Sunday's Nago mayoral election, Susumu Inamine, who opposes the relocation, defeated the incumbent. The consequences are grave. If the government makes light of the outcome, "democracy for the mainland" would be repeated.

What is worrisome is the attitude of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. Some people say he has burned bridges.

Maybe he turned white at the news, having made up his mind to sit on the fence. Either way, in a few months, he will face a crucial test that will decide his fate as a politician. He can no longer get by using his nickname "Alien" as a pretext.

Poet Baku Yamanokuchi (1903-1963), who was born in Okinawa, lamented the devastation of his hometown, which was shattered by war and eventually turned into an island of military bases, likening it to an "unsinkable mother ship."

The concentration of bases on the small island prefecture even made a former high-ranking official of the U.S. Department of Defense utter, "Too many eggs are stacked on a small basket."

The following words spoken by Oyama also still ring in my ears: "The bases are for the security of the mainland, not for the security of Japan."

The prime minister appears at a loss holding a fragile egg called Futenma. I wonder which basket he is going to put it in.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 26

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.