Series of Okinawa elections likely to affect Futenma move

January 17, 2018

Naha, Okinawa Pref.- The results of a series of local elections in Okinawa Prefecture this year look certain to affect the course of the planned transfer of a controversial U.S. military base in the southernmost Japan prefecture.

The biggest focus will be the mayoral election in Nago in February and the gubernatorial election, likely to be held in November, political watchers said.

Incumbent Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga has pledged to block the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air station in a congested area of Ginowan to the Henoko coastal area in Nago. Rejecting the relocation plan, which is based on an agreement between the Japanese an U.S. governments, Onaga has demanded the Futenma base be moved out of Okinawa altogether.

Against this background, the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appears to be launching an all-out battle to beat Onaga and candidates backed by him as part of efforts to accelerate the base relocation, sources familiar with the situation said.

"We'll do everything we can to win" the Nago mayoral election, Onaga told reporters in Naha on Saturday.

The governor also expressed his intention to offer full support to candidates pledging opposition to the base relocation in their campaigns for the series of elections in the prefecture.

In Okinawa, mayoral races will be held in 18 of 41 municipalities and 30 municipal assembly polls will be held through autumn, beginning with the mayoral election in Nanjo on Jan. 21.

In the closely watched Nago mayoral election on Feb. 4, incumbent Susumu Inamine, who opposes the Futenma base transfer to the city, aims to win a third four-year term.

Inamine is expected to face a one-on-one battle against former Nago assemblyman Taketoyo Toguchi, who is expected to be recommended by the Okinawa prefectural chapters of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, the ruling parties in national politics.

Since late last year, the Abe administration has been sending senior government and ruling party officials to Nago, including Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga and LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai, to rally support for Toguchi.

The ruling camp aims to regain control of the municipal government by highlighting measures to revive the regional economy, at a time when resentment over U.S. bases is growing among local residents after a series of recent incidents in the prefecture that involved U.S. military aircraft.

By contrast, Onaga has pledged to block the Futenma relocation by every means possible. The governor supports Inamine on the basis of "All Okinawa Kaigi," a group of like-minded people and organizations opposing the Futenma relocation, and a key power base for Onaga.

In September, the terms of municipal assembly members will expire both in Nago and Ginowan.

In the Nago poll, the focal point will be whether forces opposing the base relocation will be able to maintain a majority in the assembly.

In the critical gubernatorial election, the climactic battle is set to be fought by Onaga, seeking re-election, and a candidate backed by the Abe administration.

While continuing a legal battle against the central government over the Futenma relocation, Onaga has been unable to halt the relocation work despite his policy promises. The governor will thus seek a fresh public mandate in the election.

The LDP and local business community have been rushing to select their candidate against Onaga but face a tough task to find a strong rival against the incumbent, the sources said.

Other closely watched polls in Okinawa Prefecture include the mayoral elections in the city of Okinawa, one of the host municipalities of the US Air Force's Kadena base, the capital city of Naha, led by the issue of relocating a US military port, and Ishigaki, where Japan's Defense Ministry plans to deploy Ground Self-Defense Force troops. Jiji Press