Police Clear Protestors to Make Way for New U.S. Base on Okinawa | Sojourners

Police Clear Protestors to Make Way for New U.S. Base on Okinawa

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Close to 200 Japanese protesters gathered in Okinawa to stop construction trucks from entering Camp Schwab, a U.S. base, after the Ministry of Land overruled the local governor’s decision to revoke permission for construction plans. They criticized the "mainland-centric" Japanese government of compromising the environmental, health, and safety interests of the islanders.

Riot police poured out of buses at 6 a.m., outnumbering protesters four-to-one, and in less than an hour had cleared way for the construction vehicles.

Local officials have objected to the construction of the new coastal base, which will landfill 160 acres of Oura Bay and require a 205 hectare construction plan to develop a military runway.

The bay is notable for its extremely rich ecosystem. Marine biologists describe Oura Bay as a critical habitat for the endangered 'dugong' (a species of manatee), which feeds in the area, as well as sea turtles and unique large coral communities.

Camp Schwab is only one of 32 U.S. bases that occupy 18 percent of the island, using various areas for military exercises from jungle training to Osprey helicopter training exercises. A formidable line of tethered red buoys mark out the area consigned for construction, running from the land to a group of offshore rocks — Nagashima and Hirashima, described by local shamans as the place where dragons (the source of wisdom) originated.

Two days ago, police made six arrests outside the base, also arresting 'kayactivists' in the sea trying to disrupt the construction. Protesters also have a number of speedboats that take to the waters around the cordoned area; the response of the coast guard is to use the tactic of trying to board these boats after ramming them off course.

The overwhelming feeling of the local people is that the government on the mainland is willing to sacrifice the wishes of Okinawans in order to pursue its military defense measures against China. Bound by Article 9, Japan has not had an army since World War II, though moves by the government suggest a desire to scrap the article and embark on a 'special relationship' with the U.S., who is already securing control of the area, tightening the Asia pivot with control over land and sea trade routes — particularly those routes used by China.

Okinawa suffered devastating losses during the World War II, losing a quarter of its population during the three-month-long 'Battle of Okinawa,' which claimed 200,000 lives in total. Hilltops are said to have changed shape due to the sheer bombardment of ammunition.

Local activist Hiroshi Ashitomi has been protesting at Camp Schwab since the expansion was announced 11 years ago.

"We want an island of peace and the ability to make our own decisions. If this doesn’t happen then maybe we might need to start talking about independence," he said.