Sunday, February 25, 2001

By David Allen
Okinawa bureau chief

NAHA — Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine and the mayors of Naha and Urasoe have agreed to set up a council to facilitate the relocation of the Naha Military Port to Urasoe.

The action was prompted by the recent election of Urasoe Mayor Mitsuo Gima, who supported moving the U.S. Army facility. The move has been stalled for 27 years because anti-base officials dominated local politics.

The mayor’s support is conditioned on Tokyo’s promise to provide funds for additional commercial development in the area. Urasoe’s waterfront, a few miles north of the port’s current home, is undeveloped.

Moving the port has been controversial since 1974, when the United States agreed to return the 140 acres, freeing valuable warehouse and docking space in Naha. But the move was conditioned on finding an alternate port site on Okinawa, something U.S. and Japanese officials did not agree on until the 87-acre Urasoe site was identified in 1996.

However, former Mayor Kenichi Miyagi opposed the relocation because he didn’t want the U.S. military presence expanded in his city, which already is home to Camp Kinser.

With the election of Gima on Feb. 11, and the election of pro-move Naha Mayor Takeshi Onaga last November, the port move can proceed, Inamine said in announcing the formation of the Relocation Council.

"The two elections made me realize strongly how much people want to develop Naha port and Urasoe waterfront," Inamine said. "To facilitate the move is to comply with the wishes of the majority of citizens in the two cities."

Inamine said the council will meet monthly, beginning in March.

Gima said the sooner the project begins, the better. "I was elected on the promise to develop the city’s waterfront and the Naha port," he said. "Under the leadership of Governor Inamine, I would like to see the project start as soon as possible."

Onaga said that "moving the Naha military port facility will contribute to the economic development of the entire prefecture."

Inamine said the major issues the council will tackle will be the financial aspects of the move, the design of Urasoe waterfront development and plans for turning the old Naha Military Port into an international shipping hub.

Chiyomi Sumida contributed to this report.

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