Okinawa Citizens Mourn over Death of Governor Onaga

August 12, 2018

Naha, Okinawa Pref.- Many citizens gathered at a rally in Naha on Saturday to mourn over the death of Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga, a critic of U.S. military bases in Japan's southernmost prefecture.

About 70,000 people attended the rally aimed at blocking a central government plan to start earth-filling work at the Henoko coastal district in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, as early as Friday, according to the organizers of the event. The work is part of a project to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air station in Ginowan, also Okinawa.

"We'll make a judgment in a resolute manner, embracing Onaga's wish to stop any more military base from being built in Henoko," Vice Governor Kiichiro Jahana said in a speech.

Jahana was speaking about a plan announced by Onaga, who died on Wednesday, to withdraw his predecessor's approval for the landfill work. Jahana, who is acting as governor, did not say when the prefecture will withdraw the approval.

Naha assembly member Takeharu Onaga, the second son of the deceased governor, also gave a speech. He said he saw the governor reading materials on U.S. base issues even when he was staying in hospital.

"Let's work hard so that we can report to him that we've stopped the construction of the new Henoko base," the son said.

The event was organized by a group protesting the Henoko project. The group adopted a resolution to urge the Japanese and U.S. governments to scrap the landfill plan and the entire relocation project.

Many participants lamented the death of Onaga.

"He stood at the forefront of the movement against the base relocation to Henoko without thinking about himself," said Hideko Taira, 66, a resident of the Okinawa town of Nishihara. Jiji Press