Okinawa Prefecture gubernatorial election, amidst Henoko relocation controversy, ``sense of distance between the country and Okinawa'' becomes a new point of contention

One week left until voting in the Okinawa Prefectural gubernatorial election. As the debate over the relocation of the U.S. military's Futenma Air Base (in Ginowan City, Okinawa Prefecture) to Henoko, Nago City fades, the ``sense of distance between the country and Okinawa'' has emerged as a new point of contention. ``Stop making the country the bad guy'' and ``Speak out to the government.'' The battle of words between newcomer Genta Furusa (42) and incumbent Denny Tamashiro (66) becomes heated in a virtual one-on-one battle. (Title omitted)

Henoko relocation: ``Prefectural residents' opposition remains unchanged'' Interview with former Okinawa governor Inamine - gubernatorial election

◇Ripples of unified maintenance

"Governor Tamaki is always blaming others." On the night of August 26, the day before the announcement was made, Koja announced to campaign executives that in addition to the prefecture's economic promotion plan, which centered on "doubling prefectural income," he would also make his stance as governor a point of contention.

The next day, in his first speech, he said, ``It's easy to make the country the bad guy, but that won't change Okinawa,'' emphasizing the difference between him and Tamaki, who is clashing with the government to demand the reversal of the Henoko relocation. At a rally in Ginowan City on the 3rd of this month, he exclaimed, ``We will turn stagnation into progress.''

Even though more than half a century has passed since Okinawa was returned to the mainland in 1972, mixed feelings toward the country and the mainland remain deep-rooted. Although there were voices within the camp who feared that ``if it was viewed from a national perspective, it could receive a backlash,'' given his background as a former general affairs bureaucrat, a senior campaign official said, ``The consciousness of the prefectural residents is changing due to concerns about the Taiwan emergency.''

There was a lot of excitement for the prefectural government to be regained by a conservative party for the first time in 12 years, especially in the business community, which had moved to support him, and Koja received recommendations from the Liberal Democratic Party, Nippon Restoration Party, People's Democratic Party, Sangyo Party, and Japan Conservative Party, as well as the Komeito Prefectural Headquarters. It aims to penetrate "independents who hate the Liberal Democratic Party" (related parties) by promoting the "Prefectural Democratic Party" as an equal party for all parties.

However, the ``conservative party pool election'' also comes with side effects. According to people involved, the Prefectural Medical Federation has expressed dissatisfaction with the participation of political suffragettes who are skeptical about vaccinations. At a general rally held in Naha on the 2nd, conservative members of the Japanese Diet complained, ``Eighty years after the war, the prefectural government is suffering from a sense of victimhood,'' while Liberal Democratic Party officials grimaced, saying, ``That's an unnecessary comment.''

The fact that just before the announcement was made, former House of Representatives member Mikio Shimoji signed a policy agreement with the Liberal Democratic Party Headquarters, canceled his candidacy, and turned to supporting Kojia has caused a ripple effect. Although party headquarters welcomed the move, saying, ``We were able to avoid a conservative split'' (an executive), the local Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito have a long history of feuding with Shimoji, who has moved between the ruling and opposition parties. A senior campaign official did not hide his displeasure, saying, ``We broke the glasswork.''

◇Lost banner

The political situation surrounding Tamaki, who is seeking a third term, has changed significantly in the eight years since his first election. Since the death of former Governor Takeshi Onaga in 2018, a number of conservatives have left the "All Okinawa" support group, which goes beyond reform and protection. Tamaki ultimately lost the lawsuit with the government over the Henoko relocation, leaving him with no way to stop the relocation work.

This time, Tamaki advocated the same ``Prefectural Democratic Party'' as Koja, but did not call himself ``all Okinawan'' and did not seek nominations from the Constitutional Democratic Party, Communist Party, or Social Democratic Party. The word ``Henoko'' was also removed from the seven pillars of the pledge. The strategy was to highlight achievements such as tourism revenue exceeding 1 trillion yen.

It was the withdrawal of Shimoji that led to a major change in that route. In the eyes of prefectural residents, the LDP's ``ground work'' led by the Liberal Democratic Party Headquarters appears to be ``central intervention.'' At the camp's emergency meeting the day before the announcement was made, there were a number of opinions saying that ``Okinawa's right to self-determination'' should be asserted, and one senior official said with relief, ``We finally have a platform to appeal to.''

In response to Gu Xie's criticism, ``Don't blame the country,'' Tamaki countered, ``Let me make it clear that it is not to blame.'' He also raised the issue of the U.S. government's request for Henoko and another 3,000-meter runway as a condition for the return of Futenma, emphasizing that ``If you ask us to give up Naha Airport, we will absolutely not accept it.''

At a speech held in Kin Town on the 3rd, he called out, ``Nuchidu treasure (life is treasure) is our identity. Let's prove it once again in this election.''

However, the camp has lost its banner of ``all Okinawa,'' and the camp no longer has the momentum it once had. Even at the street speech in front of the prefectural office on the day of the announcement, the audience was sparse. He has been forced to fight in a way that emphasizes his personal popularity, such as by showing off his guitar skills on the streets, and those involved are growing impatient, saying, ``We have to somehow get some wind out of it.''