According to the information disclosed by Japan Ministry of Defense , more than 70% of the total area of US military bases in Japan are located in Okinawa, Japan. The huge US military bases, especially the noise and environmental pollution caused by Futenma base have seriously troubled local people for many years. The relocation plan of the US military's Futenma base agreed many years ago has been strongly opposed by local people. Central Radio and Television Station reporters recently conducted an interview with people related to Okinawa and found that the relocation plan not only cannot solve the troubles of local people, but also causes new safety hazards and ecological environment damage. Many people demand that the US military bases be completely moved out of Okinawa.
noise, accident, crime, US military base stationed in Japan disturbs the civilians
, located in the center of Yiyewan, Okinawa Prefecture, the US military base stationed in Japan, is the main aviation base of US Marine Corps in Okinawa, and can accommodate about 160 fighter jets . Due to the dense facilities around schools, residences and other facilities, the base is called "the most dangerous military base in the world ". Residents nearby have been dissatisfied with the various problems caused by the base and have held protests many times, demanding that the US troops withdraw.
All Okinawa Conference Co-representative, former mayor of Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture, Ino Rijin: Okinawans have been suffering from noise and potential crashes in the US military for many years, as well as traffic accidents constantly created by the US military. Various criminal incidents have made Okinawans restless in their daily lives.
The relocation plan for the US military base is actually to build a new construction and add new dangers
In 1996, the Japanese and American governments agreed to relocate the US military base in Futenma to the Henoko area of Nago City. The relocation requires land reclamation and two new aircraft runways. In response, the Okinawan people expressed strong opposition and criticized the relocation plan for being "named relocation, but actually new construction", which not only fails to eliminate hidden dangers, but will instead add new dangers.
All Okinawa Conference Co-representative. Former Mayor of Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture. Ino Ritsuki: The American Aviation Law stipulates that buildings within a radius of about two kilometers around the aircraft runway shall not be higher than 50 meters. However, Heinoko has Okinawa Industrial Higher Education College, Kubean Primary and Secondary School, and many houses with an altitude of more than 50 meters, all exceeding the safety standards.
Futenma Base has an airplane runway of about 2,700 meters, while Henoko's runway is only 1,800 meters long, and large aircraft cannot take off and land here. Dao Lingjin pointed out that even if the relocation is completed, the Futenma base may continue to be partially used.
In addition, in 2015, the geological survey unit released a report saying that the southeastern part of the Heno Ancient Base Construction Area was soft and there were hidden dangers of settlement. However, the Japanese government did not care at that time. It began to reclaim land at the end of 2018. It was only after the construction started that the problem was serious and large-scale improvement projects were needed. In April 2020, it was submitted to the Okinawa Prefecture Government to change the design. Danny Tamaki, the governor of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, who opposed the construction of the new base, strongly responded that "no approval".
年后的彩票线的彩票线的彩票线的彩票线的彩票线的彩票线的彩票线的彩票线的彩票线的� Now Okinawa Prefecture and the Japanese government have confronted each other on this issue. Biologists also pointed out that if land is reclaimed here and silt and sand flow into the sea, the living environment of marine organism will be damaged, which will also cause changes in ocean currents, which will in turn damage biodiversity .
The voice of the people of Okinawa Prefecture: Okinawa does not need a US military base
In 2019, Okinawa Prefecture held a county-civilian referendum on the issue of the new US military base in Honoko, and more than 70% of voters opposed it. In the recent Okinawa Prefecture Governor election, Okinawa Governor Danny Tamachi, who opposed the U.S. military's Futenma base relocation plan, won re-election. After re-election, Danny Tamachi once again stated that the Okinawan people's desire to cancel the relocation plan for the US military base has not wavered at all, and he will continue to call on the Japanese government to stop the plan.
Reporter He Xinlei of Taiwan: The US military stationed in Japan is located in a downtown area. The noise pollution and safety hazards brought by aircraft take-off and landing training every day make the locals unbearable. However, moving the base from Futenma to Henoku area also faces many problems, such as destroying the local marine ecological environment, non-compliant construction, etc.In the long process of Okinawa Prefecture's people opposing the relocation of bases, there may be a saying that expresses everyone's voice, that is, Okinawa does not need US military bases.
Waste left by the US military has harmed the ecological environment of Okinawa
United States Taiwan reporters also found during the investigation that the northern mountains and forests of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan were previously the location of the northern training area of the US military stationed in Japan. Over the decades, waste generated by the US military after training, including some radioactive material , has been left in the mountains and forests, causing damage to the local ecological environment.
In 1957, the northern training area located in the mountains and forests of northern Okinawa Prefecture was designated as the training ground for the US Marine Corps. In 1996, Japan and the U.S. governments reached an agreement to return part of the forest land in the northern training area to Japan. In December 2016, about 4,000 hectares of forest land in more than half of the northern training zone were returned to Japan. In the returned woodland, waste left by the US military during the past training is often found.
In December 2017, insect researchers in Okinawa Prefecture accidentally discovered empty bullet while inspecting the northern forest. This is a kind of bullet without a warhead, for training. Since then, this area has attracted public attention. Up to now, people have found military bullets, shell , more than 3,000 empty bullets, and even waste such as communication components containing radioactive materials.
Insect Researcher Akino Miyagi: There are three types of bullets here, two of which are the same, and it can be concluded that this is a bullet used by the US military. The US military has the habit of burying pollutants into the soil, which should be abandoned by the US military. After I asked Professor Tian Daifeng from Ming Sakura University to come here for sampling and analysis, the toxic chemical substance polychlorinated biphenyl was detected.
polychlorinated biphenyl is a type of carcinogen identified by WHO . Rui Keira Nagato, director of the Ryukyu Okinawa Center of the East Asian Community Research Institute, served as a member of the House of Representatives and mayor of Minami City, Okinawa Prefecture. He has been paying attention to the issue of US military bases for many years. After going to the northern forest for field visits, he was deeply worried about the local environmental problems.
Rui Qinglan, director of the Ryukyu Okinawa Center of the East Asian Community Research Institute, has discovered many dangerous substances such as cobalt and PCBs. Not only the northern training ground, but also chemical weapons components were detected in other places. The biggest problem is that the investigation should have been conducted, but the cause cannot be investigated and analyzed. (Northern Forest) is recognized as a World Heritage Site, but the value of the World Heritage Site is also damaged in many places.
It is difficult to remove waste. It is even more difficult to launch an investigation into the US military.
Local residents require the US military and the Japanese government to assume the responsibility for disposing of these wastes. However, according to the "HTM1 Japan-US Status Agreement ", the US military has no obligation to restore the place to its original state, and the Japanese side has no right to enter the base to investigate the source of these wastes.
Insect Researcher Akino Miyagi: Most people may also be exposed to these bullets. The packaging bags of field foods will turn into pieces after rotting, which may be eaten by animals. These bullets may also pollute the environment and cause life-threatening to animals.
Director of the Ryukyu Okinawa Center of the East Asian Community Research Institute, Ruiqinglan Nagato: Due to the restrictions of the Japan-US Status Agreement, our freedoms and human rights have been violated. In terms of the environment, it is also impossible to investigate without the permission of the US military. Can we Okinawan Prefecture people really live in peace and well-being? In addition to the creatures here, they will not be able to survive safely, which is the biggest hidden danger.
Natural Heritage Forest has become a training area for the US military. The people are deeply disturbed by it.
The roar of helicopters in the air, the scattered US military waste in the forest, and the existence of the US military training area has deeply disturbed the local residents and also eclipsed the World Natural Heritage Site here.
Reporter He Xinlei of the Taiwan Taiwan: A large amount of waste from US troops stationed in Japan was found in the World Natural Heritage Site, including garbage with radioactive substances. Such an unimaginable thing actually happened in Okinawa. Uncovering the problem is just the beginning, and there is still a long way to go to promote the solution of the problem. And this is exactly the sorrow of Okinawa.
The US military stationed in Japan committed crimes, and the local people were suffering
Public information from the Japanese Ministry of Defense showed that as of the end of March this year, there were a total of 130 military facilities of various types shared by the US military stationed in Japan and Japan and the United States in Japan. This is the area with the largest number of military facilities deployed overseas in the United States. For a long time, the US military stationed in Japan has brought various security problems in its location, causing the people of Okinawa Prefecture to suffer.
The data from the Japanese Ministry of Defense shows that 31 of the 76 dedicated military facilities for the US military are located in Okinawa, with a total area accounting for 70% of the total area of all dedicated facilities for the US military stationed in Japan - this is also equivalent to 8% of the total area of Okinawa Prefecture.
For a long time, the US military stationed in Japan has caused various security problems to the local area, including criminal crimes, environmental pollution, noise disturbances to the people, and falling objects from high altitudes. According to statistics from Okinawa Prefecture, from 1972 to 2019, the US military and military families stationed in Japan committed about 6,000 crimes in Okinawa, including many vicious crimes such as murder, robbery, and rape. In addition, the US military traffic accident has caused more than 4,000 casualties. In addition, US military aircraft have crashed and emergency landings in Okinawa many times. During the COVID-19 epidemic, a large number of US troops stationed in Japan were not restricted by epidemic prevention measures when entering Japan, causing the epidemic to spread, and Okinawa Prefecture also became the biggest victim.
In fact, in Okinawa, every time there are various activities involving US military bases, people from Okinawa and all over Japan will come to protest near US military bases. The latest poll by the Japan Broadcasting Association shows that 79% of respondents believe that Okinawa has suffered heavy burdens due to its presence in a US military base.
Rally participants: Military bases are tools for killing people. Places with military bases will definitely become the center of war, will be attacked, and will also become the place to launch attacks. I don't want to build tools that exist for war in Okinawa anymore.
Japanese Senate Member of Congress Gao Liang Tetsumi: The people of Okinawa Prefecture are angry and even angry about this. In addition, everyone is also very disappointed with the Japanese government. Why does the Japanese government seem so powerless when facing the United States and the U.S. military? This emotion is very strong in the hearts of Okinawa prefecture people.
There are many other Japanese areas outside Okinawa Prefecture that are deeply suffering from the US military stationed in Japan.
In February 2018, the US military admitted that several soldiers stationed in Yokosuka Military Base in Japan are under investigation for suspected purchase, use and sale of drugs.
In January 2017, the USS Antitam missile cruiser stationed in Japan was stranded in the waters near Japan's Yokosuka , causing about 4,160 liters of hydraulic oil, causing environmental pollution.
In March 2016, a US Navy officer flew from San Diego, USA to Tokyo on a flight, and molested a Japanese female college student on the way. The whole process lasted for 90 minutes. During the Japanese investigation, the US military officer refused to admit the violence on the grounds that he could not remember the situation at that time. The Japanese side later handed him over to the US military stationed in Japan in accordance with the Japan-US Status Agreement.
For the Japanese people, the US military stationed in Japan has become a nightmare that they cannot expel.
Source: CCTV News Client
