Okinawa Gov Denny Tamaki, who strongly opposes the relocation of a U.S. base within the southern island prefecture, said Saturday he will run for a third term in the gubernatorial election in September.
The Sept. 13 election will pit him against Genta Koja, a former deputy mayor of Naha who supports relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station. The central government is pushing to transfer the base from a crowded residential district in Ginowan to the less populated Henoko coastal area of Nago, both in Okinawa Prefecture.
“I absolutely cannot accept that the base would be a permanent one,” Tamaki said, adding the relocation issue “could be one of the major points of contention” in the gubernatorial race. He also warned the relocation plan would not reduce the dangers posed by the Futenma base.
The incumbent governor first won the election in 2018 and is now serving his second term.
Local opposition to the U.S. military presence remains strong amid crimes by U.S. service members and issues such as noise and pollution. Okinawa hosts the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan.
© KYODO
