Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga intimated at his March 27 news conference that if Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga recanted approval by his predecessor, Hirokazu Nakaima, of the reclamation of waters off the coast of Henoko, the government would sue Onaga for indemnity caused and accrued by the delay of the construction work.
This is intimidation against the governor by the Abe government, which is intent on forging ahead with the construction of a new base in Henoko. Onaga must never surrender to such dirty intimidation.
Why is the Abe administration so subservient to Washington, trying to implement what it was dictated to do about the Futenma relocation issue? Can such people-abusing tyranny ever be allowed in a democratic state?
Should the central government take the expected legal steps and force Okinawa to pay the indemnity, I am sure most of the prefecture's residents would be ready to fight back against such cruel and absurd governmental action. If 100,000 people were each to contribute ¥10,000, the total would reach ¥1 billion. Note that Onaga won the last gubernatorial election by garnering a comfortable 360,820 votes, while his opponent managed just 261,076. Nationwide, there would be a horde of people willing to cooperate proactively with Okinawa's cause.
It is suggested then that Onaga recant his predecessor's approval of the Henoko reclamation plan immediately, before it's too late.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.