To view articles in English only, click HERE. 日本語投稿のみを表示するにはここをクリック。点击此处观看中文稿件한국어 투고 Follow Twitter ツイッターは@PeacePhilosophy and Facebook ★投稿内に断り書きがない限り、当サイトの記事の転載は許可が必要です。peacephilosophycentre@gmail.com にメールをください。Re-posting from this blog requires permission unless otherwise specified. Please email peacephilosophycentre@gmail.com to contact us.

Thursday, February 04, 2010

January 30 Tokyo Rally for Okinawa Attended by 6,000 People 日比谷で6千人規模の集会―普天間閉鎖と辺野古中止を求めて

Here is a YouTube video of the 6,000-people rally at Hibiya Park, Tokyo, on January 30 (Sat.) to call for smooth closure of Futenma Air Station and cancellation of construction of a new base in Henoko.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=517lqBIWFjY&feature=player_embedded#



Slogans in this video are:

"We don't need Futenma Base!"
"We won't allow construction of a new base!"
"We don't need a base in Henoko!"
"U.S. bases, leave Okinawa!"
"We will take back the peaceful island!"

Other YouTube links (Japanese Language) from the rally:

Speech of Head of SDP Mizuho Fukushima:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4Lf9nOpFUM&feature=related
Speech of Iwakuni Mayor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVsgeh3QPok&NR=1
Demonstration march http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiIi-Nzoe-s&feature=related

Here is the Kyodo Report.

TOKYO —
Some 6,000 people gathered Saturday in Tokyo to rally against relocating the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station within Okinawa, as debate on the issue intensifies following the local election victory of a relocation opponent. Consumer affairs minister Mizuho Fukushima, who took part in the rally, reiterated her resolve to see the base moved out of Okinawa or Japan altogether. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has said all options remain open, including the current plan to relocate it within Okinawa, until a final decision is taken in May.

‘‘I hope to win the struggle in terms of having the land for the Futenma base returned and seeing that no more burdens are placed on Okinawa,’’ Fukushima said in an address to the gathering, which was organized by civic groups such as Peace Forum and included more than 100 participants from Okinawa.

‘‘We have several months to go before reaching a conclusion at the end of May, and we will definitely win with all our might,’’ said the head of the small ruling coalition partner Social Democratic Party.



Highlights from Ryukyu Shimpo's summary of the Resolution:

  • An agreement was reached in 1996 between US and Japan so Futenma would be returned. In 2004, a U.S. helicopter crashed into Okinawa International University. The dangerous Futenma Air Station should be returned as soon as possible with no conditions.
  • The reason why the reversion of Futenma has not happened is that the US demanded and Japanese Government tolerated the construction of a new base in Henoko. The interests of construction businesses appeartto be at work behind the 1 trillion yen (over 10 billion US dollars) project.
  • The new base will NOT bring wealth to Okinawa, but will destroy the life of people and the environment of the ocean in which endangered dugongs reside.
  • Residents of Nago, where Henoko is, made their opposition against the new base clear in the last mayoral election.
  • 50 years after the revision of ANPO, or Japan-US Security Treaty, and 20 years after the Cold War, we need to reexamine the framework of "deterrence" based on military and nulcear powers.
  • We need to fundamentally review SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement), and the Host Nation Support.
  • We need to encourage policies based on Hatoyama Administration's idea for peace and co-existence of East Asia, rather than relying upon the Japan-US relationship that's heavily focused on military alliance.
  • We call for return of Futenma, express our opposition against the construction of a base in Henoko, and ultimately aim to reorganize then eliminate all the US bases in Japan.

◆琉球新報より引用―普天間全国集会決議(要旨)
 
1996年日米両政府は普天間基地の全面返還で合意した。5年前には隣接する沖縄国際大学に米軍ヘリが墜落した。現在も米軍ヘリが頻繁に飛び交う普天間基地は一刻も早く無条件に返還されるべきだ。
 しかし13年たった今も返還は実現していない。理由は、返還の見返りに米国は辺野古新基地建設を要求し、日本政府もそれを容認してきたからにほかならない。背景には新基地建設に絡み1兆円ともいわれる建設事業の利権が見え隠れする。
 新基地建設で沖縄は豊かになるどころか、危険と生活破壊を増幅し、ジュゴンが生息するたぐいまれなる自然環境を失うことになる。
 辺野古がある名護市民は市長選挙で新基地建設に反対の立場を明確にした。全国の市民、労働者はこの民意を守るために闘わなければならない。
 日米安保50年、冷戦終結20年を迎える今日、米軍再編が進む中、旧来の核・軍事力を背景とした抑止力に頼る安全保障のあり方が根本的に問われている。日米地位協定や思いやり予算の根本的な見直し、米軍被害の徹底検証も取り組まなければならない。安全保障に特化した日米関係を見直し、鳩山連立政権の東アジアの平和と共生に向けた基本政策を強めるべきだ。
 普天間返還、辺野古・新基地建設反対、沖縄をはじめとする全国の米軍基地の整理・撤去に向けより大きな闘いを目指そう。右決議する。

No comments:

Post a Comment