On January 23, fifteen international scholars and researchers, mostly among those who signed the
International Okinawa Statement in January 2014, which opposed construction of the new marine base in Henoko, Okinawa, and called for swift return of US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station. They are also editors and contributors of the
Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus, which has been publishing articles on Okinawa for over a decade. See bottom for the English version of the letter. １月２３日、
昨年１月の辺野古新基地建設反対と普天間基地返還を求めた世界声明の呼びかけ人ら１５人が、沖縄県知事翁長雄志氏に手紙を送った。この１５人は全員、この１０数年英語で沖縄を発信してきたオンライン英語ジャーナル
The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus 『
アジア太平洋ジャーナル：ジャパン・フォーカス』編集・執筆陣でもある。沖縄の新聞での報道（手紙の日本語版全文を含む）と、下方に手紙の英語版を紹介する。
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| 琉球新報１月２５日１面より Ryukyu Shimpo, January 25, Front Page |
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| 沖縄タイムス１月２５日２面より Okinawa Times, January 25, Page 2 |
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沖縄タイムス１月２５日６面より Okinawa Times, January 25, Page 6
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Mr Takeshi
Onaga, Governor
Okinawa
Prefectural Government
1-2-2,
Izumizaki, Naha, Okinawa, Japan
Phone: 098-866-2080 Fax: 098-866-2467
January 23, 2015
Dear Mr Onaga,
We
write to you as representatives of the group of international scholars, artists
and peace advocates from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and
Europe, who in January 2014 issued a statement opposing the plan to build a new
base in Henoko and calling for a swift return of Futenma Air Station. We all
have some connection with Okinawa through our research on aspects of Okinawan
society, politics, and history, and over more than a decade we have been
writing and publishing to the world articles on Okinawa in English in the online Asia-Pacific Journal – Japan Focus (http://japanfocus.org/).
In
our January 2014 Statement, we criticized the decision by former Governor
Nakaima to turn his back on popular sentiment and agree to reclamation. We drew
attention to the injustice of the heavy burden of military bases on Okinawa,
and declared our opposition to the construction of a new base at Henoko. Then,
in November, popular Okinawan sentiment against any new base was reaffirmed
with your election to the Governorship, promising to “not allow the construction”
of any new base at Henoko. When you visited the site and declared your
opposition to construction, it gave huge encouragement to those who had been so
long engaged in unremitting struggle to save Oura Bay and Henoko.
That
was just over two months ago. Now we can scarcely bear to watch as preliminary
construction proceeds at Henoko and as clashes between riot police and
protesting citizens, often involving injuries to protesters, occur on an almost
daily basis. We understand that the forces involved are Okinawan prefectural
police, and that they are under the direction of the prefectural public safety
committee appointed by you as Governor. It should be possible for you as
Governor to make use of your authority to order those police forces not to use
force against citizens protesting at Henoko. We urge you to order the immediate
withdrawal of the riot police and their substitution by traffic police. We also
ask you to call immediately for the Coastguard to cease its violent security
operations.
It
is reported that you have decided to set up in late January a commission to
investigate the decision to allow reclamation, which will then conduct its
proceedings by meeting on a fortnightly basis and by April at the earliest report
its findings: cancelation in the case of flaws being identified in the
administrative process, or revocation otherwise. We also understand that in
April or after, you are planning to lead a prefectural delegation to carry the
Okinawan case against base construction directly to the Government of the
United States in Washington.
However,
the main reclamation works are about to commence. There is little time. We fear
it is becoming too late.
Authority
to stop the works rests with the governments of Japan and the United States and
with you as Governor, who can either cancel or revoke the reclamation license.
Should you not exercise that authority to cancel or revoke, there will be no point
in your visiting the United States. But if your commitment to cancel or revoke
is clear in advance of that visit to the United States, the visit then becomes
meaningful and we would do whatever we can to support it.
The
people of Okinawa elected you their governor based on their sense that Okinawa
must not be further discriminated against and that a base that would destroy
the natural environment must not be built. Scrutiny of the legal process is
obviously important, but if the legal process is emphasized too much are you
not adopting the same way of thinking as Mr Nakaima, who said that licensing of
the reclamation was “in accord with legal criteria?” We believe that the people
of Okinawa placed their faith in your political resolve rather than in
investigation of the law.
Until
such time as you as Governor decide to either cancel or revoke, the government
of Japan is steadily continuing its works in accord with the permission granted
by your predecessor. If once Oura Bay is destroyed by the dumping of sand and
concrete, it will be too late. We urge you to demand at once that the works be
stopped pending the decision by the Investigative commission, and that
Commission loses no time in making its recommendation, and that you then decide
upon cancellation or revocation.
If
there is no cancellation or revocation and this base is actually constructed,
it would mark the first time in history for a new base to be constructed with
Okinawa Prefecture’s consent, leaving a dark stain for future generations.
We
may be criticized for expressing views from outside but our goal is the same as
that of you, Governor Onaga, and the majority Okinawan people who elected you.
It is to stop the construction of a base at Henoko. We for our part intend to
continue our efforts to have the Governments of Japan and the United States abandon
base construction.
Sincerely,
No New Bases in Okinawa! Global Voices
Herbert
Bix, Emeritus Professor of History and Sociology, State University of New York
at Binghamton
Alexis
Dudden, Professor of History, University of Connecticut
Mark
Ealey, Translator of the Battle of Okinawa literature based in New Zealand
Norma
Field, Professor Emerita, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of
Chicago
Joseph
Gerson, Ph.D., American Friends Service Committee
Laura
Hein, Professor of Japanese History, Northwestern University
Paul
Jobin, Associate Professor, East Asian Languages and Civilizations,
University of Paris Diderot
John
Junkerman, Professor of Waseda University, Filmmaker
Peter
Kuznick, Professor of History, American University
Gavan
McCormack, Professor Emeritus, Australian National University
David
McNeill, Journalist, Instructor at Sophia University
Katherine
Muzik, Marine Biologist
Satoko
Oka Norimatsu, Director, Peace Philosophy Centre, Canada
Steve
Rabson, Professor Emeritus, Brown University
Mark
Selden, a Senior Research Associate in the East Asia Program at Cornell
University
(In the alphabetical order of family names)
県警を率いるのは翁長知事だと伺いましたが、幾度要請しても聞き入れられないのであれば、県警本部長を更迭、或いは予算の凍結といった対応もお考えになっているでしょうか。
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