2019 Okinawan referendum

Last updated

2019 Okinawan referendum
Flag of Okinawa Prefecture.svg
24 February 2019 (2019-02-24)
On the central government's plan to conduct landfill work at Henoko, Nago for the planned relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma
Results
Support
 
19.10%
Oppose
 
72.15%
No opinion either way
 
8.75%

A referendum was held in Okinawa Prefecture on 24 February 2019. The referendum asked whether voters approved or opposed the landfill work at Henoko Bay for the construction of a new United States Marine Corps base. This is the second prefecture-wide referendum in Okinawa, the first being the 1996 referendum on the reduction of US military presence. Governor Denny Tamaki announced the referendum in November 2018, fulfilling his manifesto promise from his successful campaign for governor. [1]

Contents

The Okinawan electorate voted to overwhelmingly reject the central government's Henoko move plan. 72% of Okinawan voters opposed the plan, with 19% supporting the plan. The Oppose vote also passed the 25% electorate threshold, which means the governor is obliged to respect the result and to convey it to the Prime Minister of Japan and the President of the United States. However, the central government is not legally obliged to respect the result. [2] [3]

Referendum question and options

The ballot asked voters to decide:

On the central government's plan to conduct landfill work at Henoko, Nago for the planned relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma [ citation needed ]

Voters had three options: Support, Oppose and "No opinion either way". It was initially proposed that the referendum had two straight options: Support or Oppose. 5 conservative-aligned mayors of Okinawa City, Uruma, Ginowan, Miyakojima and Ishigaki protested at this plan and threatened to exclude their cities from the referendum. A compromise was reached in January to include the third "No opinion either way" option. The dispute caused a delay on the preparations for the vote in the 5 municipalities. [4] Although a separate voting date for those municipalities was expected initially, the referendum preparations there were finished on time and they will hold the referendum on the same day as the rest of the prefecture. [5]

Early voting was available from 15 to 23 February. [6]

Petition

On 8 December 2018, Okinawan-Hawaiian activist Robert Kajiwara created a petition titled, "Stop the landfill of Henoko/Oura Bay until a referendum can be held in Okinawa" on the White House's We the People petitioning portal. On 18 December, the petition got 100,343 signatures, [7] reaching the necessary number of signatures for it to be reviewed and receive a response by the White House. The petition was drawn to attention by multiple individuals who signed it. People such as Brian May, Rola, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Daisuke Muramoto, Ryucheru, and others have openly expressed their support. [8] The petition received over 200,000 signatures by the end of January. [9] As of February 24 (date of referendum), the White House has not given a response.

Kajiwara was detained and interrogated by Japanese immigration officers when he came to Japan in February 2019 to campaign in the referendum. [10]

Endorsements

Support

Parties

Individuals

Oppose

Parties

Individuals

No opinion either way

Opinion polling

Date(s)
conducted		Polling organisationSample sizeSupportOpposeNo opinion
either way		UndecidedLead
24 Feb 2019Results605,38519.10%72.15%8.75%53.05%
16–17 Feb 2019 Asahi Shimbun Archived 31 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine 1,12516%59%21%4%38%
16–17 Feb 2019 Kyodo News 15.8%67.6%13.1%0.5%51.8%

Results

ChoiceVotes %
Support114,93319.10%
Yes check.svg Oppose434,27372.15%
No opinion either way52,6828.75%
Valid votes601,88899.42%
Invalid or blank votes3,4970.58%
Total votes605,385100%
Registered voters and turnout1,153,59152.48%
Source: Okinawa Prefectural Government Archived 26 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine Asahi Shimbun Archived 11 November 2019 at the Wayback Machine

Breakdown

Aftermath

The day following the referendum, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that while the central government respected the result, construction works at Henoko would continue. This statement was reaffirmed by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga and Minister of Defense Takeshi Iwaya. [18] Construction works at Henoko also restarted straight away, causing indignation among the local populace who voted heavily to oppose it. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miyakojima, Okinawa</span> City in Kyushu, Japan

Miyakojima is a city in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, located on the Miyako Islands. As of 2012, it had a population of 54,908. The current mayor is Kazuyuki Zakimi, who took office on January 25, 2021.

Chobin Zukeran is the mayor of Nanjō, Okinawa and a former member of the House of Representatives of Japan, representing Okinawa 4th district. He was elected in the 2009 Japanese general election. He is an outspoken proponent of the removal of American bases from Okinawa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Okinawa gubernatorial election</span>

The 11th Okinawa gubernatorial election was held on November 28, 2010. The official campaign start began November 11. The 2010 election garnered national attention mostly for the dispute between the central government and local communities in Okinawa over the planned relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from Ginowan to Henoko in Nago that had also contributed to the resignation of prime minister Yukio Hatoyama in June 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Takeshi Onaga</span> Japanese politician

Takeshi Onaga was a Japanese politician and the seventh Governor of Okinawa Prefecture from 2014 to 2018.

The following lists events that happened during 2016 in Japan.

The 2016 Okinawa Prefectural Assembly election, or more formally the 12th general election of members of the Okinawa prefectural assembly, was held on 5 June 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Satoshi Mitazono</span>

Satoshi Mitazono is a Japanese politician and journalist who is the former governor of Kagoshima Prefecture. He defeated the incumbent Yūichirō Itō at an election held on 10 July 2016.

The 2016 Kagoshima gubernatorial election was held on 10 July 2016 and contested by the three-term incumbent Yuichiro Ito and political journalist Satoshi Mitazono. Ito was denied a fourth term in office, as Mitazono received 55% of the vote following a campaign based primarily on change as well as opposition to the prefecture's operating nuclear power plant. The election was held on the same day as the national House of Councillors election, which helped increase voter turnout to 58.6%, compared to 43.8% at the previous election in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okinawa 1st district</span>

Okinawa 1st district is a constituency of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan. It is located in Okinawa Prefecture and encompasses the city of Naha and parts of Shimajiri District. As of 2016, 270,872 eligible voters were registered in the district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Okinawa gubernatorial election</span>

The 2018 Okinawa gubernatorial election was held on 30 September 2018 to elect the next governor of Okinawa. As there are no term limits in Japan, incumbent Governor Takeshi Onaga was eligible for re-election before his death in August 2018. The election was originally scheduled to be held on 9 December 2018, but this was brought forward after Onaga's untimely death. Onaga's deputy, Kiichiro Jahana temporarily assumed his post for three days until being replaced as interim governor by Moritake Tomikawa. This was the first gubernatorial election in Okinawa since the voting age was lowered to 18.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okinawa 2nd district</span>

Okinawa 2nd district is a constituency of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan. It is located in Okinawa Prefecture and encompasses the cities of Urasoe and Ginowan, and Nakagami District. As of 2016, 288,070 eligible voters were registered in the district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okinawa 3rd district</span> Constituency for the Japanese House of Representatives

Okinawa 3rd district is a constituency of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan. It is located in Okinawa Prefecture and encompasses the cities of Nago, Okinawa, Uruma, Kunigami District and parts of Shimajiri District. As of 2016, 312,171 eligible voters were registered in the district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okinawa 4th district</span>

Okinawa 4th district is a constituency of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan. It is located in Okinawa Prefecture and encompasses the cities of Miyakojima, Ishigaki, Itoman, Tomigusuku, Nanjō, the village of Tarama, Yaeyama District and parts of Shimajiri District. The district was formed after the 2002 national electoral district review assigned Okinawa an extra district. Constituency cities and towns in the 1st and 2nd district were reassigned to form the 4th district. As of 2016, 286,832 eligible voters were registered in the district.

The 2018 Niigata gubernatorial election was held on 10 June 2018 to elect the next governor of Niigata. Incumbent Governor Ryuichi Yoneyama resigned on 18 April 2018 in the wake of a sex scandal. This was also the first gubernatorial election in Niigata since the voting age was lowered to 18.

A by-election for the Okinawa 3rd district in the Japanese House of Representatives was held on 21 April 2019. The seat became vacant following the candidacy and election of its representative, Denny Tamaki to the governorship of Okinawa Prefecture. Tamaki was one of the two representatives from the Liberal Party in the House. He had served the district almost continuously since 2009 and defended the seat by a 17.56% margin in the 2017 election. The by-election was held on the same day with the second round of the unified local elections and another House by-election in the Osaka 12th district. The Okinawa-wide referendum in February influenced the by-election campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Japanese House of Councillors election</span> Japanese Upper House election taking place by July 2022

House of Councillors elections were held in Japan on 10 July 2022 to elect 125 of the 248 members of the upper house of the National Diet, for a term of six years. The elections occurred after the assassination of Shinzo Abe on 8 July 2022. The elected candidate with the fewest votes in the Kanagawa prefectural district will serve for three years, as the district combined its regular and byelections.

Yasuo Higa was an Okinawan photographer, ethnologist and anthropologist. He served ten years as a police officer near a US military base before becoming a photographer, with much of his early work centered on life in postwar Okinawa. Higa is most known for his research on ancient rituals and shamanesses from the Ryukyu Islands, mainland Japan, and Asia, conducted over the span of nearly 40 years. Through his photographs and extensive notes, Higa has preserved critical documentation on maternal rituals that have been effectively rendered extinct in areas such as Kudaka and Miyakojima. 

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kimi Onoda</span> Japanese politician

Kimi Onoda is a Japanese politician. She serves as Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Defense since 2022 and as a member of the House of Councillors representing the Liberal Democratic Party. She previously served as Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Justice under the Suga Cabinet (2020–2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seven-Eleven Japan</span> Japanese convenience store chain

Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd. is a Japanese convenience store chain headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Seven & I Holdings. The company was established in 1973 as York Seven by the supermarket chain Ito-Yokado in collaboration with Southland Corporation, now known as 7-Eleven, Inc, an American convenience store chain. As of 2022, Seven-Eleven is the largest convenience store chain in Japan in terms of sales and number of stores. Additionally, it is one of the largest retail chains in Japan in terms of sales. In 2004, it acquired full ownership of the original 7-Eleven, Inc.

References

  1. 1 2 Ito, Kazuyuki (27 November 2018). "Okinawa decides to hold Feb. 24 referendum on U.S. base issue". Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 14 October 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  2. ↑ "辺野古埋め立て「反対」が7割超え　知事の得票上回る43万票　沖縄県民投票、投票率は52.48％" (in Japanese). Okinawa Times. 25 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  3. ↑ "72% of Okinawa voters oppose work off Henoko for U.S. base". Asahi Shimbun. 25 February 2019. Archived from the original on 11 November 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  4. 1 2 Yamashita, Ryuichi; Ito, Kazuyuki (25 January 2019). "3-answer ballot approved in Okinawa, all cities will vote". Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 10 September 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  5. ↑ "辺野古移設　沖縄県民投票、24日全県で　宜野湾など3市、参加表明". Mainichi Shimbun. 2 February 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  6. ↑ "Early voting under way in Okinawa on key U.S. base issue". Asahi Shimbun. 15 February 2019. Archived from the original on 14 October 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  7. ↑ "White House petition to halt Henoko construction reaches 100,000 signature goal in 10 days". Ryukyu Shimpo - Okinawa, Japanese newspaper, local news. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  8. ↑ "「米国政府動かす男」R・カジワラさん、大阪入管に屈辱の拘束—辺野古基地問題で来日、超党派議員と面談（志葉玲） - Yahoo!ニュース". Yahoo!ニュース 個人 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  9. ↑ "Marianas Variety - Okinawa petition to save Henoko Bay reaches over 200,000 signatures". www.mvariety.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  10. ↑ Ida, Jun (21 February 2019). "US man who petitioned to halt Henoko landfill questioned 2 hrs by Japan immigration". Mainichi Shimbun . Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  11. ↑ Narisawa, Kaigo; Ito, Sei; Ito, Kazuyuki (18 February 2019). "Anti-U.S. base moves heat up as referendum in Okinawa looms". Asahi Shimbun . Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  12. ↑ "立憲民主党が辺野古新基地反対を表明　沖縄県連の発足で枝野氏が会見　県知事選は玉城デニー氏を支援へ" (in Japanese). Okinawa Times. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  13. ↑ Kawai, Tatsurou (30 January 2019). "県民投票、対抗手段は「リコールと訴訟」　立憲・枝野氏" (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun . Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  14. ↑ Ito, Hiroki (9 January 2019). "Fearless Ryuichi Sakamoto won't stay silent on Okinawa base". Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 13 September 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  15. ↑ Nakajima, Maki (7 January 2019). "Queen guitarist May seeks signatures for petition against Okinawa base transfer work". Mainichi Shimbun . Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  16. ↑ Miyagi, Hiroya; Abe, Shihoko (9 January 2019). "203,800 signatures collected for White House petition to halt US base work in Okinawa". Mainichi Shimbun . Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  17. ↑ 県民投票投票確定 (PDF) (in Japanese). 沖縄県. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  18. ↑ "Abe moves ahead with base work in Okinawa after 'no' referendum". Asahi Shimbun. 25 February 2019. Archived from the original on 14 September 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  19. ↑ "埋め立て「反対」の民意が示されたのに...　県民投票から一夜明け、辺野古の工事進む" (in Japanese). Okinawa Times. 25 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.