Okinawa Governor Opposes Plans for U.S. Heliport

Okinawa’s governor said Friday that he opposes building an offshore heliport for American armed forces, the centerpiece of a plan to reduce the heavy U.S. military presence on the southern Japanese island.

Gov. Masahide Ota said local residents are unhappy with the Japanese government’s plan to build the floating platform off the island’s eastern coast.

Ota’s opposition could doom the project because Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto has said he will respect local opinion when he makes a decision about whether to go ahead with it.

In a nonbinding December referendum, 54% of Okinawa voters rejected the proposed heliport.

The central government reacted angrily to Ota’s opposition.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Kanezo Muraoka threatened to scuttle an economic development plan for Okinawa, accusing Ota of changing the conditions for government aid.

The Hashimoto administration has been debating proposals to bolster the economy on Okinawa by turning the island into a free-trade zone and giving tax breaks to local businesses.

Building the heliport is the centerpiece of a 1996 U.S.-Japan agreement designed to reduce the U.S. military presence on Okinawa. The agreement calls for closing the Futenma Air Station in five to seven years and returning 12,361 acres of land to the original landowners.