Naha Mayor Takeshi Onaga said Wednesday he will run in the Okinawa gubernatorial election in November, on a platform of opposition to the planned relocation of a U.S. military base within the prefecture.
"To meet the expectations of people is what a politician should aim to do at the end of the day," Onaga told the Naha Municipal Assembly. "Japan's security should be ensured by sharing (the burden of hosting U.S. military bases) as a country. Okinawa has reached its limits and cannot shoulder more," said the 63-year-old Onaga.
Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima, 75, is expected to seek another term in the Nov. 16 race. Last December, Nakaima gave the go-ahead for landfill work to build a replacement facility in Nago for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in densely populated Ginowan.