EDITORIAL: Okinawa governor race

The Okinawa gubernatorial election campaign officially kicked off Thursday. Measures to revive the local economy, which is even worse off than the rest of the country, are the leading issues in the campaign. And again, the problem of U.S. military bases weighs heavily in this race.

Previously, incumbent Governor Hirokazu Nakaima had agreed to the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan to a site elsewhere within the prefecture, with conditions.

However, after intense debate that began last year, he did an about-face. He is now demanding the base be moved elsewhere in Japan, saying it should be located somewhere in the "Yamato (mainland) from Hokkaido to Kagoshima." In his opening campaign speech, Nakaima said, "I want all of Japan to think about security."

Meanwhile, former Ginowan Mayor Yoichi Iha, a newcomer in the race, has steadfastly called for "relocation outside Japan."

"This is a battle between Okinawa residents and the governments of Japan and the United States. I will not budge," Iha said in his first stump speech.

While the candidates differ on just where the Futenma airfield should go, both Nakaima and Iha agree that it must be moved outside the prefecture.

Which is more important--bases or the economy? How many times has Okinawa fought gubernatorial elections with arguments that require voters to choose between these two options?

This is Okinawa's 11th gubernatorial election since its 1972 reversion to Japanese control, but this time the picture looks different. The argument has crossed the prefectural border. The chasm dividing Okinawa and Yamato seems deeper than ever before.

In Okinawa, Susumu Inamine, who opposed the relocation of Futenma to Henoko in Nago, was elected Nago mayor in January. In the fall municipal assembly election, candidates supporting Inamine scored major victories. The prefectural chapter of the Liberal Democratic Party also switched to opposing relocation within the prefecture. And the prefectural assembly has unanimously approved a written opinion calling for relocation outside Japan or Okinawa.

In other words, in Okinawa, residents are acting as one to demand that Futenma's functions be moved outside the prefecture.

The former administration of Yukio Hatoyama stated the base should be moved "at least outside the prefecture." But then he stepped down without making any substantial progress. Thus, calling for "relocation within the prefecture" is no longer a politically viable option.

The ruling Democratic Party of Japan, which went back to plans to move the Futenma airstrip to Henoko, as previously agreed by Tokyo and Washington, is unable to even field its own candidate in the race--an unheard-of situation.

How should people in mainland Japan, who enjoy the benefits of security, view the security system that is the foundation of the Japan-U.S. relationship? The Okinawa gubernatorial race has become an opportunity for the island prefecture to pose such a radical question to the rest of the country.

Nakaima is supported by the local LDP chapter and New Komeito, while Iha has the backing of the Japanese Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party and other groups.

Organizations within the prefecture are starting to change their long-held approaches to elections.

In national and gubernatorial elections, the Okinawa general contractors association has traditionally supported conservative candidates centering on the LDP.

But for the first time, it has decided to leave it up to individual member companies to decide which candidates to vote for.

The Okinawa regional headquarters of the All Japan Garrison Forces Labor Union, to which Japanese employees working in U.S. bases in Okinawa belong, is a power base long held by the DPJ. It too, responding to member opinions, has decided to allow individual members to vote independently for the first time.

Election day is Nov. 28. Okinawa is urging people on the mainland to consider this problem as one in their own backyard.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 12