<<  <  >  >>

Page 6

Governor Ota's Campaign against the Bases

It was patriotism, not communism, that caused

Okinawans to elect in 1990 a distinguished university pro-

fessor and author, Masahide Ota, on a platform of getting

the bases--all of them--off of the island.  He was, of

course, realistic enough to recognize that it would not

happen at once.  His government's "Base Return Action Pro-

gram" proposes the return of 9 bases by 2001, another 14

by 2010, and the final 17 by 2015.15

He has pushed his program with remarkable tenacity.

To help educate Americans about the issue, Ota made his

seventh visit to the United States in mid-May.  As he

proudly explains, "Since taking office in 1990, I have

devoted myself completely to the resolution of U.S. base

problems in our prefecture.  The history of Okinawa has

been one of suffering caused by the burden of military

bases, and this situation must be changed.  As we move

toward the 21st century, military bases must be gradually

removed from Okinawa so that our younger generation can

live with hope on a peaceful island."16

The Weight of the Social Burden

Ota's efforts have been backed by the municipalities

that suffer most from the U.S. presence.  Townships like

Kadena and Kin distribute English-language brochures de-

scribing the burden of U.S. bases on their people.  Kin's

publication places on its cover a picture of Marines

relaxing on Kin Blue Beach, which is controlled by the

United States.  The brochure observes that "the townspeo-

ple are being forced to live in the limited left-over

areas and they've been living back to back with the acci-

dents and incidents caused by the base."17   U.S. firing

exercises have also denuded hills of vegetation and caused

erosion of the red soil, which runs into the ocean.

Officials of Kadena particularly worry about the lack

of living space for young people, many of whom now move

away.  "Only the elderly now remain," says one city

staffer; the "number of kids [is] decreasing."18   Ginowan's

representatives take visitors up on a hill overlooking

Futenma Air Station and point to how it crowds the city.

"It causes a big impact on life," one of them stated.  The

facility creates "fear of crashes and prevents development

of the city."19

Even communities with a smaller base presence suffer.

U.S. facilities cover 15 percent of the area of Urasoe,