Iwakuni to hold plebiscite March 12 on plan to host more U.S. aircraft

YAMAGUCHI (Kyodo) Iwakuni Mayor Katsusuke Ihara announced Tuesday his city will hold a plebiscite March 12 to ask citizens whether they accept a plan to host U.S. carrier-borne aircraft relocated from a naval base in Kanagawa Prefecture.

The Yamaguchi Prefecture city, which hosts the U.S. Marine Corps Iwakuni Air Station, is among a number of municipalities affected by the planned realignment of U.S. forces in Japan and will be the first to hold a vote, albeit nonbinding, on the issue.

Ihara brushed aside opposition to the plebiscite from several municipal assembly members, saying support by residents is necessary for Japan and the U.S. to operate the Iwakuni base effectively.