Next week's referendum in the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa on the controversial relocation of a US airbase will not affect the government's decision, the cabinet spokesman said Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th February, 2019) Next week's referendum in the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa on the controversial relocation of a US airbase will not affect the government's decision, the cabinet spokesman said Thursday.Official campaigning has begun in the region ahead of the February 24 vote where Okinawans are expected to vote against the ongoing works to reclaim part of a coastal area in Henoko for the future site.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters at a daily briefing that the outcome of the ballot would change nothing about the plans to move the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station within the prefecture, according to the NHK news channel.
Okinawan Gov. Denny Tamaki is leading the push to end US military presence in the prefecture but all his attempts to halt landfill works have been derailed by the central government. The vote is not legally binding, although an ordinance on it reportedly stipulates that Tokyo must respect its outcome.
