2010 International Year of Dugong& International Year of Biodiversity
ちゃんぷるニュースVol.51（最新号）２面【情勢】
「辺野古への基地建設を断念させよう」の英訳をしました。
海外へ発信できる方、転送・転載していただけるとうれしいです。
PDF版は、こちら
-Urge the Government to Terminate the Henoko Military Base Plan-
The Democratic Party of Japan suffered a crushing defeat in upper house elections on Sunday, July 11. A satirical senryu poem posted in one newspaper proclaimed “Consumption tax, used to cover up the money scandal.”
Prime Minister Naoto Kan’s sudden comments on the consumption tax were taken as a ploy to gloss over controversial issues such as the plan to relocate the Futenma air base to Henoko and the political funds scandal, which played a role in the DPJ’s failure to put up a candidate in the single-seat Okinawa constituency. Okinawa DPJ representative Shokichi Kina lost his seat on the DPJ’s proportional representation ticket, in a sharp verdict on a type of politics that ignores the will of the people. Aiko Shimajiri, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, was re-elected in the Okinawa constituency and is now forced to support the relocation of the Futenma base out of the prefecture.
On May 28, Japan and the U.S. made a joint statement on the facility’s relocation, configuration and construction, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of August. Prime Minister Kan promised President Obama that he would honor a bilateral agreement made by his predecessor at the G20 summit in June. However, the Okinawa prefectural assembly unanimously adopted a resolution calling for a revision of the joint Japan-U.S. statement on July 9. Governor Hirokazu Nakaima suggested that the base should not be forcibly relocated in the face of opposition in the local community. Nago City Mayor Inamine said he would refuse to negotiate with the government and Ginowan Mayor Iha disputed the constitutional validity of Japan’s agreement to provide the Henoko Air Base to the U.S. authorities. It is unlikely that the government will proceed with the construction of the facility to replace Futenma before Okinawa’s gubernatorial election on Nov. 28.
A municipal assembly election will be held in Nago on Sept. 12. It is critically important to elect a majority of city council members who support Mayor Inamine, in order to establish a dugong sanctuary in Henoko instead of the military base.
The tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP10) will be held on Oct. 18 in Nagoya. Certain parties are now preparing to question whether the Japanese government is qualified to hold the COP10 presidency, due to its indifference in protecting the endangered Okinawa dugongs.
The Save the Dugong Campaign Center (SDCC) will also attend an international conference on the dugong Memorandum of Understanding to be held in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. from Oct. 4 to 6. It is an intergovernmental conference, but the SDCC will also make a presentation on the plight of the Okinawa dugongs.
We at the SDCC will ask the government to implement the IUCN Resolution for Dugong Conservation and to participate in the Dugong MoU (the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Dugongs and their Habitats throughout their Range) along with other countries that have dugong habitats. We will also submit a second petition to the government demanding the establishment of a dugong sanctuary instead of a military base in Henoko.
We are approaching a critical stage in urging the government to scrap its plans to relocate the military base to Henoko.
2010年国際ジュゴン年＆国際生物多様性年
ＳＤＣＣは「基地ではなくジュゴン保護区」のサポーターを募集しています。