Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga on Friday met with U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy in Tokyo and told her of his opposition to U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa. It was Onaga's first meeting with the ambassador since he took office in December.
Speaking afterwards, the governor said he reminded Kennedy that his election represents the will of the people and reflects the widespread opposition in Okinawa to moving the base within the prefecture.
"The results of the mayoral election in Nago, the Okinawa gubernatorial election and the Lower House election last year showed public opinion is against building a base in Henoko. I share the same opinion, so I asked for understanding of that," Onaga told reporters after the 40-minute meeting at the U.S. Embassy.