Candidates who support Mayor Susumu Inamine of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, an opponent of the Japan-U.S. plan to relocate U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from Ginowan in the central part of Okinawa Island to the less populated Henoko area of Nago, won a majority in the city's assembly in Sunday' election. The election results show that the central government's efforts to gain local acceptance of the relocation plan are likely to face increasing difficulty.
To reduce the overall burden on Okinawan people, the central government plans to have the United States return some military facilities located south of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, to Japan. It also plans to extend a special law — beyond its scheduled expiration at the end of fiscal 2011 — to promote the development of Okinawa.
The Nago election results indicate that local people won't accept the relocation plan under any quid pro quo. The outcome of the coming Okinawa gubernatorial election will indicate how much more resistance is in store for the central government.