The person who wrote this article
Yugo Okita
Governor Denny Tamashiro of Okinawa Prefecture said at a regular press conference on the 26th that the U.S. military had conducted forced parachute drop training at Kadena Air Base for five consecutive months, saying, “I can’t help but suspect that they are trying to make this the norm.” criticized. He indicated early in May that he would protest to the Japanese and American governments.
The U.S. military has repeatedly conducted training at Kadena Air Base, which is close to a residential area, because the runway at Iejima Auxiliary Airfield is not well maintained. Governor Tamaki predicted that it would take time to construct the runway, saying, “Until the runway is constructed, parachute drop training should be carried out overseas and outside the prefecture. I would like to make a strong protest and appeal,” he said, making it clear that adjustments are being made.
April 28, 1952 was the “day of humiliation” when the San Francisco Peace Treaty went into effect, and at the same time Japan regained its sovereignty, Okinawa, Amami, and the Ogasawara Islands came under American administration. Ahead of the 1972 milestone, more than 70% of the U.S. military facilities in Japan are still concentrated in Okinawa, and the bases are suffering from incidents, accidents, and environmental problems. In order to ensure this, there is a need for active discussions between the Japanese government, which is responsible for providing the system, and the US government, which operates it.”
The government is expanding the deployment of the Self-Defense Forces in the Nansei Islands. Governor Tamaki said, “Continuing to expand the deployment of the Self-Defense Forces without reducing the functions and scale of the U.S. military will lead to an increase in the burden of bases on Okinawa. It has to be a premise.”
Regarding the water storage rate in dams, the water storage rate is on a recovery trend, but the government continues to urge people to conserve water for the time being. Regarding water intake from the Chubu water source, which has been reported to be contaminated with organic fluorine compounds (PFAS), he said, “Once the water storage rate recovers, we would like to stop taking water from water sources with high contamination levels.”
(Yugo Okita)
