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2011/01/21
Edano visits Okinawa, meets with Governor Nakaima
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On January 21, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano had meetings with the Governor of Okinawa Hirokazu Nakaima and with the Chair of the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly Zenshin Takamine at the Okinawa Prefectural Office. They discussed promotion and development measures for Okinawa and reducing the burden of US bases placed on the prefecture.
In his meeting with Nakaima, Edano was handed a petition by the Governor. Nakaima said that he would like to ask for assistance with solving the problems faced by Okinawa. He said that the Act on Special Measures for the Promotion and Development of Okinawa would expire in 2011, and called for the extension of the Act and the establishment of new legal provisions which would further enhance it. Nakaima explained that the petition contained a proposal for such new provisions, and listed ten items that would enable Okinawa prefecture to become truly independent, including those dealing with promotion of industry and job creation, the development of outlying islands and sparsely populated areas and utilizing land formerly used as US military bases, reducing the burden of US bases on Okinawa and shifting to lump-sum subsidies with a high-degree of flexibility.
Edano responded, “I am extremely conscious of the fact that the issues of the promotion and development of Okinawa and of reducing the burden that US bases place on the prefecture are ones that must be dealt with by the Cabinet as a whole. We would like to make serious efforts, based on the various requests we have received from the residents of Okinawa, and while maintaining ongoing discussions, so that you will be able to feel that serious results have been achieved.” Edano also recalled a previous visit made to Okinawa in 2008, saying, “Rather than simply looking at the islands of Okinawa on the maps, actually seeing them in the flesh made me keenly aware of the suffering and difficult circumstances experienced by Okinawa. I would like to make every effort to ensure that people can go about their daily lives under the same conditions no matter where they live in Japan.”
Following this, Edano met with Okinawa Prefectural Assembly Chair Takamine, and Vice-Chair Yoshikazu Tamaki. He accepted a petition containing twenty-nine items that had been drawn up by the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly. These included items relating to the relocation of Futemna base outside of Okinawa and the revision of the Status of Forces Agreement, the development of outlying islands, distribution and transport infrastructure. As in his meeting with Governor Nakaima, Edano expressed his intention of making every effort toward the promotion and development of Okinawa and the reduction of the burden placed on the prefecture.
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