On Oct. 13, Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga made good on a long-standing threat to rescind prefectural approval for the land reclamation efforts necessary to building the Futenma replacement facility in Henoko. It was the latest move in the drawn-out battle over U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, called the "most dangerous air station in the world" due to its location in a densely populated urban area.
A deal to return Futenma to Okinawan control was first announced in 1996. But nearly 20 years later, that promise still has not been realized. That's because the issue of U.S. bases in Okinawa is bigger than the specific question of Futenma. It touches on deeply held emotions, historical memory, and calculations regarding national security and political machinations.
One of the oddities in the Futenma question is that all parties involved — the U.S., the Japanese government and the Okinawa Prefectural Government — agree that Futenma has got to go. The base is surrounded by residential areas, schools and city buildings. According to former Okinawa Gov. Masahide Ota, there are 16 schools, hospitals and city offices in the immediate area, plus 3,000 people living in what should be the "clear zone" around the base.
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