Japanese panel OKs replacement
facility for Futenma off Henoko's shores
By David Allen, Okinawa
bureau chief
David Allen / Stars and Stripes
Henoko fisherman Sijin Ishiro and his wife, Hiroe, prepare for a day of fishing in the
waters of northeast Okinawa. |
HENOKO — Residents of this quiet fishing village say that if a new military base
must be built here, they want it built as far from shore as possible, on top of a reef.
The Henoko Special Committee on the New Military Facility has approved a plan to place
a Marine air station almost two miles offshore.
The decision was made recently by the 10-member committee. It is expected to be
approved by Nago Mayor Tateo Kishimoto next week and presented to the Futenma Relocation
Council in Tokyo later this month.
The reef plan was one of eight sites proposed by the Japanese government in June to
replace the Futenma Marine Corps Air Station in urban Ginowan, in central Okinawa. The
United States and Japan agreed in 1996 that MCAS Futenma should be closed and relocated to
a less-developed area of Okinawa.
The Defense Facilities Administration Agency announced June 2 that the airport would
consist of 480 acres. It will be 1.6 miles long and about a half-mile wide, and 25 acres
would be reserved for commercial use.
The agency proposed eight possible airport designs based on three construction methods:
building the airport on reclaimed land; building a platform on pillars driven into the
seabed; or using a floating pontoon.
Two of the reclamation plans and one of the platform proposals call for construction
inside the reef, adjacent to the Marines’ Camp Schwab. Two other proposals call for
building the airport on reclaimed land or a platform just inside the reef.
Three proposals are designed for outside the reef in open water. The reef lies about
1.8 miles off the coast.
David Allen / Stripes
Hiroshi Kohagura, chairman of the Henoko Special Committee. |
Hiroshi Kohagura, chairman of the Henoko committee, said its members opted for building
the facility on or just inside the reef.
"Building outside the reef would take too long," he said, noting construction
estimates for a pier structure or a "megafloat" indicate it would take 18 years
to complete.
"This conflicts with the prefectural government’s objective to close Futenma
air station as early as possible," he said. "And there is live coral there that
would be endangered. So, we looked at the alternatives and building on the reef would be
best."
He said there was not much coral in the area and the airport could be anchored into the
hard rock bottom.
"We eliminated from our selection the plans to build a facility within the reef
because it is too close to our community," he said. "When considering aircraft
noise and safety concerns, having the facility within the reef has too much of a negative
impact on our daily lives. This is the reason we refused the plans within the reef."
Kohagura said building the airport on the reef also should please environmentalists who
feared the airport would harm the seabed grazing grounds of the endangered dugong, a
saltwater manatee.
There have been 18 confirmed sightings of dugongs in Okinawa waters since 1979; most
were beached carcasses. But Kohagura, who is also chief of the Nago City Fire Department,
said he knows of no sightings inside the reef.
"The dugongs were not really a consideration in our decision-making," he
said.
He was quick to point out that the committee’s decision was a difficult one.
"Some residents don’t want the airport," he said. "But the national
government has decided, and Okinawa and Nago have agreed, to build it in our community. We
are resigned to this, it’s like national policy."
There are about 1,200 people living in Henoko.
"There are many people with different opinions," Kohagura said. "It is
difficult to draw a consensus, but we cannot just leave this problem unsolved forever.
"The mayor knows that our decision is the bottom line — that we cannot
compromise further," he said.
"This is the minimum we will accept in order to prevent it from harming our
community. It is the best way to reduce the noise and protect the environment.
"We are saying that, if you build this in Henoko, build it on the reef," he
said.
Kohagura said his committee did not discuss construction methods.
The replacement of MCAS Futenma was a key part of an agreement by the bilateral Special
Action Committee on Okinawa to reduce the area occupied by U.S. military bases by 20
percent.
The bases now cover one-fifth of the island.
U.S. military officials sat on the sidelines during the process to relocate the Marine
air base. A spokeswoman for U.S. Forces Japan said it was up to Japan to decide on the
final location and construction method.
Kohagura, 59, said the residents of Henoko and nearby villages have always supported
the Marines in their midst.
"Our community has lived with Camp Schwab and the residents have always maintained
a good relationship with Marines on the base. I believe that we were the only community in
Japan that celebrated victory in Gulf War with the military community."
He said the community is anxious for the financial benefits the new base will bring.
"Although there is the possibility that we would benefit from the growing number
of Marines in our community, the real benefit will be the financial support the national
government promised us," he said. "Three communities — Henoko, Kushi and
Toyohara — each drew up master plans to revitalize our communities."
Much of the money would go for capital improvements, such as a sewage system, new
community halls and a gymnasium, he said. There are also plans for a technical college and
a plan to attract technology-related industries.
He said the community is anxious to get construction started.
"Those who oppose the new military facility would refuse to accept the facility no
matter what," he said.
"But most of us understand that the consensus of the people of Okinawa is to close
the Futenma air station. Although I would not say that there is no fear or concern at all
to accept the facility, it is balanced by the financial support the government promised
us.
"With that, we have great hope to revitalize our community to make our hometown a
better place to live."
Chiyomi Sumida contributed to this report.
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