image: Henoko, from Wikipedia
U.S. Ambassador, Does the U.S. Government Respect Democracy
in Okinawa?
– Powerful Editorial of Ryukyu Shimpo –
This Ryukyu Shimpo’s editorial is so
powerful that, I believe, nobody can argue against it.
Masatoshi
Takeshita
February
14, 2014
English translation of an excerpt from a
Japanese article: “Unknown Truth” by Kazuhide Uekusa – February 14, 2014
–
U.S.
Ambassador, Does the U.S. Government Respect Democracy in Okinawa?
U.S. Ambassador to Japan
Caroline Kennedy visited Okinawa, where she met with
Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine and made an inspection of Henoko.
Two major Okinawa
newspapers, the Ryukyu Shimpo and the Okinawa Times, posted in their editorials
a message to Ambassador Kennedy, respectively.
The Ryukyu Shimpo summarized the fact that Ambassador Kennedy
inspected Japan’s dolphin fishing and pointed out the “inhumanness of drive
hunt dolphin killing.”
Convincing reasoning is provided there.
I’d like to quote the editorial of the
Ryukyu Shimpo in part as follows:
“We have a strong desire to share the universal values of
freedom, democracy and mutual respect for basic human rights with American
people.”
“Meanwhile, it
was the United States that captured their land from the
residents at Isabama
and Iejima “by bulldozers and bayonets” to construct the base in
the early postwar period. Such conduct violated Article 46 of the Hague
Convention stating that private property cannot be confiscated.”
Before the
war, people lived their lives in the place where U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air
Station is located. There were schools, a village office and agricultural land.
We
want the ambassador to understand this abnormal history and accept the reality
that the U.S. government operates a military base in an area where it drove out
civilians.”
“Believed to
be the origin of the mermaid legend, Dugongs live in the sea where coral
reefs spread, off the Henoko district. The dugong is listed “1A” as
critically endangered in Japanese Red List published by
the Ministry of Environment.
The US
ambassador to Japan tweeted recently, commenting that the U.S. government
opposes drive hunt fishing.
You expressed
that you were deeply concerned by the inhumaneness of drive hunt dolphin
killing. Then is it not inhumane to pose a threat to the habitat
of the dugongs by destroying their feeding grounds?”
“With
the sense of responsibility coming from your father, would you open the door to
create new friendship between the U.S. and Ryukyu, and put an
end to the military colonial rule in Okinawa? We hope that your visit to
Okinawa will help change the policy and allow the government to
abandon the relocation plan to Henoko and to move the Futenma base outside
Okinawa.
(English
translation by T&CT)
Ambassador Kennedy is urged to take this
message seriously and advise President Obama to make a decision to abandon a
plan to build a new military base in Henoko.
Of course, normally, Japan’s prime minister,
who represents the will of Okinawa residents and Japan’s sovereign members, should
ask the U.S. to abandon building a military base in Henoko.
There is no reason
that allows the beautiful beach of Henoko to be destroyed to build a gigantic
military base.
There is nothing except
filthy lust tainted by vested interests.
(Translator’s Note) Font change into red
letters made by Mr. Takeshita
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