Last posts on okinawa2024-03-28T14:00:11+01:00All Rights Reserved blogSpirithttps://starter.blogspirit.com/https://starter.blogspirit.com/en/explore/posts/tag/okinawa/atom.xmlMasagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlDear US Government re: request for stopping USMC new base construction in Okinawa, Japantag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2022-09-30:32742972022-09-30T13:30:00+02:002022-09-30T13:30:00+02:00 Dear US President Biden, Congressmembers, Senators and other decision...
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Dear US President Biden, Congressmembers, Senators and other decision makers of the issue, </strong></span></p><p> </p><p>My name is MASAGATA, a Japanese man living in Tokyo. I used to study at San Francisco State University, where I majored in International Relations. I am now working as a translator using the English knowledge I acquired in the US.</p><p>I am writing this letter to urge US government to discontinue and terminate current ongoing landfill construction project to build a new US Marine base runways at Camp Schwab, Henoko, Nago city, Okinawa prefecture.</p><p>This is the modified version of the letter I sent US Congress members and Senators in a joint Armed Forces Committee which was finalizing National Defense Authority Act three years ago and <a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/archive/2022/03/27/dear-us-government-re-request-for-stopping-usmc-new-base-con-3266656.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the letter</a> I wrote last March. I added updated information including Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Taiwan crisis to it. <span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"> I visited Okinawa many times and have been engaged in this issue since 2009. </span></p><p>The below is main points I would like to describe in this letter.</p><ol><li><strong> </strong><strong>What has been going on up until now</strong></li></ol><p><strong> </strong></p><ol start="2"><li><strong> </strong><strong>Locals strongly oppose the new base construction</strong></li></ol><p><strong> </strong></p><ol start="3"><li><strong> </strong><strong>Precious wildlife and ecosystem are threatened</strong></li></ol><p><strong> </strong></p><ol start="4"><li><strong> </strong><strong>Technically, physically infeasible project</strong></li></ol><p><strong> </strong></p><ol start="5"><li><strong> </strong><strong>America is held accountable for this weird construction project</strong></li></ol><p><strong> </strong></p><ol start="6"><li><strong> </strong><strong>Growing doubts about US commitment to Japan’s defense</strong></li></ol><p><strong> </strong></p><ol start="7"><li><strong> </strong><strong>Your Servicemen & women and American residents are facing hostility in Okinawa</strong></li></ol><p><strong> </strong></p><ol start="8"><li><strong> </strong><strong><u>Russia and China are watching what America is doing in Okinawa</u></strong></li></ol><p><span style="color: #ff0000;">Some of the below photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.</span></p><p>----------------------------------------------</p><p><strong>1. What has been going on up until now</strong></p><p>Okinawa is chain of islands and southernmost prefecture below mainland Japan. The climate is subtropical and blessed with abundance of nature surrounded by coral reef. It is 3 hour-flight from Tokyo and very famous for marine leisure tourism just like Hawaii. In fact Okinawa went through the same path as Hawaii did.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/3811381387.gif" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1157284" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/1485491746.gif" alt="_47383703_japan_quake_okinawa_226.gif" /></a></p><p>Until the end of 19th century it was an independent kingdom but annexed by mainland force. In 1945 US forces occupied Okinawa and then Okinawa has been occupied until 1972, which was 20 years after the mainland Japan regained sovereignty and was the only place that experienced ground battles within Japan, causing 200,000 civilian casualties during WW II.</p><p>The current population of Okinawa prefecture is 1.45 million. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/4262599355.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1157285" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/2585387222.jpg" alt="20210520_171151.jpg" /></a></p><p>In 1996 both the American and Japanese governments agreed to relocate US Marine Corp. Futenma base in Ginowan City, Okinawa to Camp Schwab to get away from the densely populated area around Futenma, together with some of Futenma capabilities to relocate to Guam in the Pacific.</p><p>Camp Schwab is on the coastline of Okinawa island, in an area called Henoko.</p><p>The relocation plan includes reclamation of the sea to build a new base that consists of two runways and ports expanding existing facility. Schwab is located in between Henoko coast (left) and Oura Bay (right) as you see in the photo taken on May 20, 2021.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/1835732053.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1157286" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/1086861542.jpg" alt="20210520_171230.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: '游明朝',serif;">The below orange area is the planned reclamation area on Henoko coast. The red lines are runways built on the reclamation area. The red point on the left is local residential area next to the Camp Schwab. </span></strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/01/4124623535.3.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1157287" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/01/2238281926.4.png" alt="Henoko.png" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><strong>2. Locals strongly oppose the new base construction</strong></p><p>Since the plan was announced, locals and activists from all over Japan have been protesting the new base construction by holding referendums, supporting candidates of mayoral and gubernatorial election, and municipal assembly members, who oppose the construction, as well as sit-in demonstration at the gate of Camp Schwab and kayaking at the landfilling site as civil disobedience act. Until now, tens of protesters were arrested and injured by police at the gate or coast of Camp Schwab.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/1074090791.2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1168224" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/3178288967.2.jpg" alt="okinawa,military" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/00/1823825040.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1157289" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/00/863446713.jpg" alt="20220316_101025.jpg" /></a></p><p>In September 2018, Okinawans elected Denny Tamaki as a Governor of Okinawa after death of then governor Takeshi Onaga, who was opposed to the new base construction. Mr. Tamaki succeeded the will of Onaga and won the election. He was formerly a Diet, Japan’s National Assembly member.</p><p>His father was a US Marine serviceman stationed in Okinawa and mother was Okinawan native. It was first time in Japan that a racially mixed man was elected as governor of one Prefecture. He proved that Japan is no longer homogeneous population and the nation can tolerate racial diversity. (Next photo is Mr. Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/945507473.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1157290" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/2137256666.jpg" alt="IMG_20180916_110905.jpg" /></a></p><p>In February, 2019, Okinawa held referendum to ask whether locals approve or oppose the landfill construction at Henoko sea for the construction of a new United States Marine Corps base. The outcome was that 71% of voters oppose the new base construction.</p><p>The main reason to oppose the relocation of Futenma is the relocation takes place within Okinawa island, not outside of Okinawa prefecture, which cannot reduce burden on Okinawans' lives.</p><p>This year’s September Tamaki’s second gubernatorial election was held and he won again overwhelmingly defeating other two candidates.</p><p>After the election, nationwide opinion poll was conducted by KYODO NEWS agency and revealed 57% of Japanese nationals are opposed to proceeding of the construction.</p><p> </p><p><strong>3. Precious wildlife and ecosystem are threatened</strong></p><p>Many environmental activists also oppose the plan because of the abundance of forms of wildlife that are unique to the area around Camp Schwab.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/1628948382.2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1157291" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/427556900.2.jpg" alt="Jfkdugong.jpg" /></a></p><p>This photo is of a dugong, an endangered marine mammal that eats grasses in the sea. It is just ridiculous that the nation that protests Japan’s whaling in the Antarctic Sea – and even dolphin hunting in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture that ex-US Ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy, a daughter of late President J.F.Kennedy, was eager to protest – is helping to threaten another marine mammals that live in Japan.</p><p>In Oura Bay, the world’s largest, oldest and the northernmost blue coral lives and has continued to grow for 3000 years.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/02/1585786050.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1157292" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/02/2697564847.jpg" alt="IMG_20180428_140517.jpg" /></a></p><p>Many new species are discovered in the bay recently. A lot more may be still undiscovered. It is estimated more than 5600 species exist in the Henoko and Oura bay area. That is more than all species in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.</p><p>Great biodiversity for humanity lies in the sea. <span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: 'Verdana',sans-serif; color: black; background: #E6F2C0;">(The banner posted at the entrance gate of Camp Schwab where servicemen and women, and workers pass)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/02/2297820937.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1157293" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/02/3455973266.jpg" alt="IMG_20201026_092829.jpg" /></a></p><p>US Marine Environment Protection Organization, Mission Blue designated the area as one of “Hope Spots.”</p><p><a href="https://mission-blue.org/2019/10/japans-first-hope-spot-honors-rare-coral-reefs-and-dugong-habitats/">Japan’s First Hope Spot Honors Rare Coral Reefs and Dugong Habitats - Mission Blue (mission-blue.org)</a></p><p>On Henoko coast, the sea is now enclosed and being reclaimed and dugongs and other creatures’ lives are now threatened. Dugongs’ sea grass is found in the current reclaiming area and some of untouched planned areas. They are losing their feeding place.</p><p>As for blue coral, reclaimed space can change the sea current and might adversely affect life of the coral. Then what will happen is that your nation will be accused of helping to diminish such wonderful and rare creatures.</p><p>Actually, the Japanese Ministry of Defense carried out an environmental assessment in which it was claimed that there were no dugongs in the sea. But the environmental organizations such as WWF and The Nature Conservation Society of Japan claim that the MoD’s assessment was wrong and the organizations’ own research found clear traces confirming the existence of dugongs. Later, Okinawa’s local newspaper revealed the news that the MoD was aware of the finding but had covered it up.</p><p>Because of these facts, the petition to the White House to halt landfilling of the sea was launched in 2018.</p><p>https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/stop-landfill-henoko-oura-bay-until-referendum-can-be-held-okinawa</p><p>(Stop the landfill of Henoko / Oura Bay until a referendum can be held in Okinawa Created by R.K. on December 08, 2018)</p><p>More than 200000 signatures were collected in two months.</p><p>The petition campaign was widely spread by a famous fashion model and TV personality, Rola (Mixed race woman between Japanese and Bangladesh), who posted the petition campaign on her Instagram page. She was an environmental activist.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/2627384467.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1157294" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/1169840491.jpg" alt="20190107_183511.jpg" /></a></p><p>The White House has not yet responded to the petition officially. </p><p>Since this year’s spring, another bad progress has been made as part of the reclamation project. One of piers to build on the sea for the reclamation was extended so that it is blocking one of major tidal currents to the bay.</p><p>As shown in the below photo taken on 12 September 2022 from the airplane, the red circle is pier K8 which has been extended. The pink circle area is the construction site of River Flow Change to the sea. That river, called Bisha-gawa pours cold water into the bay, which cools down the temperature of the sea water so that many unique species can survive.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/851175609.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1157295" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/2580920382.jpg" alt="K8_202209hilited2.jpg" /></a></p><p>Both the tidal current and the river flow to the bay are significant to keep the good environment for the wildlife in the bay. But these constructions destroy the environment.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/01/255264909.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1157296" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/01/3667445152.jpg" alt="20220907_154310.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Pier K8 viewed from River Flow Change construction site (Above)</strong></p><p><strong>The construction must be stopped immediately. No time for the wildlife and ecosystem </strong><strong>to wait </strong><strong>.</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>4. </strong><strong>Technically, physically infeasible project</strong></p><p>There are technical issues revealing infeasibility of the construction project as follows.</p><p>Active faults are found down below planned construction site of runways. If that is the case in California, the project wouldn’t be permitted.</p><p>Around planned construction site of runways there are buildings higher than US military aviation standard, flying helicopters or ospreys there might cause collision with these buildings, similar situation to Futenma Air Base in Ginowan city. (The below photo is Futenma base and its surrounding area from observatory site in the city.)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/4106406060.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1157297" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/755879041.jpg" alt="futennma.jpg" /></a></p><p>The buildings include school and its dormitory at which young students attend classes or reside. No plan of relocation is announced although a power transmission tower next to the building was already planned to relocate from that site. (The below photo is a local town next to Camp Schwab.) It is known over 350 buildings are placed above the height limitation for the planned runways. It is not only dangerous for locals but for pilots.</p><p><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: 'Verdana',sans-serif; color: black; background: #E6F2C0;">(Photo taken in Henoko district near the sea coast)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/754973257.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1157298" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/2908309307.jpg" alt="IMG_20180428_122112.jpg" /></a></p><p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: '游明朝',serif;">Illustration of how danger the flying zone of the planned new runways, excerpt from the local newspaper, Okinawa Times, the red line is the supposed height limitation for the runways. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/3945930251.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1157299" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/2068459055.jpg" alt="Screenshot_20220322-080340_Chrome.jpg" /></a></p><p>Geological survey conducted in the sea to landfill indicates sea ground is too soft to pile soil on like mayonnaise, which consumes more budget and time to landfill so the construction period should be much longer than expected like 20 years from now.</p><p>Or even more because the very soft ground exists in the layer of 90 meter below sea level but modern technology allows contractors to solidate the ground only up to 70 meter deep.</p><p>The below photo was taken in January 2018.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/01/939687270.2.JPG" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1157300" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/01/1650160973.2.JPG" alt="P1100703.JPG" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">The below was taken on 12 September, 2022. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/01/481914322.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1157301" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/01/2628102288.jpg" alt="K8_20220912.jpg" /></a></p><p>Although the landfilling already started in Heneoko sea side area (left side), but at this point only one third of all the planned area is landfilled and even that one third is not fully landfilled yet. It was filled up to 3 meters high but still requires another 4 meters, which would take at least another 3 years and the other two thirds on Oura bay side (right side of the photo) have not started at all due to the technical issues related to very soft ground under the sea. Henoko side is shallow but Oura bay side is very deep.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/4124623535.2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1168219" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/2238281926.2.png" alt="okinawa,military" /></a></p><p>Even after 3 years passed since landfilling started, only less than 10 % of total amount of soil was used. </p><p>The below photo is Henoko coast side landfill. Only 3 meter of planned 7 meter is filled up. (Photo taken in January 2022)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/01/2784521149.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1168216" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/01/3412767858.jpg" alt="okinawa,military" /></a></p><p>This is just a little bit over
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlNovel: ”Henoko Bar, Stars and Stripes” Chapter 1 ”Children Who Don't Know about Wars”tag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2022-07-12:32717012022-07-12T10:45:00+02:002022-07-12T10:45:00+02:00 The novel is based on this issue and my own experience. In...
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The novel is based on <a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/archive/2022/03/27/dear-us-government-re-request-for-stopping-usmc-new-base-con-3266656.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this issue</a> and my own experience.</span></p><p> </p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">In Henoko, Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture, shaken by the issue of the construction of a new U.S. military base, a female singer time slips to the time in the midst of the Vietnam War. What is the Henoko New Base Issue? What was the Vietnam War? What is America? What is Okinawa?</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">A short story in 9 chapters. Each chapter features famous songs from Japan, the United States and Okinawa.</span></p><p align="left"> </p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Translation of <a href="https://masagata.exblog.jp/31003860/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this Japanese novel</a>. </span></p><p align="left"> </p><p align="left"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">August 2018</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Naomi Yamaguchi was walking on the streets at night in the Henoko district of Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture in a slightly drunken state. She had just come out drinking at a bar. Coming from Tokyo, she didn't seem to be welcome here. Not because she was from Tokyo, but because she was part of an activity that wasn't welcomed by the residents of the area.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Naomi was a singer from Tokyo. She was twenty-six years old. Although she was born and raised in Yokohama, she had lived and worked as a singer who sang while playing guitar and piano in live houses and cabarets. She liked to sing since she was a child. She’s been learning singing seriously since kindergarten and piano and guitar since elementary school. </span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">She has overwhelmed the surroundings with her outstanding sense of sound and vocal volume. Naomi was said to be talented. In addition, she was a beautiful woman who could even become an actress and model that she recognizes by herself and others. In addition to her work as a singer, she also made money by modeling for magazines and advertisements.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">She traveled to Europe for about three years to learn singing. She stayed in England for about a year. While studying traditional music such as opera, canzones, chansons and Scottish folk songs, she was a singer with a wide range of genres and sang songs such as contemporary rock and ballads. She loved learning and singing any song in the world.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Naomi was a singer who sold beautiful voices, but she was an unknown singer who worked at ordinary live houses and cabarets. Then came a big opportunity for her. The manager of an entertainment production company who visited the live house approached her about signing a contract. It promised to debut on a TV show with big sponsors and in music sales. Not only as a singer, but also because of her good looks, he recommended her about being able to work as an actress.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">She got on it because it was a very attractive opportunity, but it was a trap. The manager was a middle-aged man who looked like a con, but he was really a con man. He invited her to talk about the contract at a bar in Shinjuku Kabukicho, Tokyo's downtown, and took her to a private room in the back of the bar, where he let her drink more and more alcohol. When Naomi started to get drunk, he suddenly hugged and kissed her. </span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">She screamed loudly, but she was drunk, and caught up in the couch that she couldn’t resist. Just when she thought she was in a helpless situation, an unexpected savior appeared. A tall young man kicked the door of the private room, pulled the manager away from her, and punched him in the face. The manager collapsed to the floor and fainted. </span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">He saved her from the brink of crisis. It was as if she had been saved by a knight on a white horse, and she fell in love with the young man at once.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The young man's name was Genjiro Shimabukuro. He was a young man from Okinawa prefecture. He was a graduate student a little younger than her. He has a fierce countenance. He hoped to become a lawyer while attending a law school in Tokyo.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Naomi wanted to do something to thank him for his help, and Genjiro asked her if she could go to Okinawa with him. Genjiro occasionally returns to his hometown of Okinawa to join the anti-U.S. military base struggle. There, he said, she could use her talent as a singer. Naomi was of course happy to oblige.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Naomi had never been to the Okinawa island before, but she was excited. Speaking of Okinawa, Naomi had a strong image of a resort island. She could go there with a young man like a knight on a white horse. </span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">On a plane from Haneda Airport, Genjiro Shimabukuro and Naomi Yamaguchi arrived in Okinawa, a midsummer coral island.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Genjiro taught her history of Okinawa as a native man. Some of the facts were overlapped with the knowledge she already gained in history classes in schools. </span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Okinawa had been an independent kingdom until late 19th century like Hawaii in US but the kingdom was annexed to the mainland Japan. In 1945, when Japan surrenderred to the US, Okinawa was occupied by the US military and had been under US control until 1972. </span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/4262599355.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1152699" style="margin: 0.2em auto 0.7em; display: block;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/2585387222.jpg" alt="history,war,vietnam,okinawa" /></a></span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Genjiro was from Ginowan city of Okinawa Prefecture, where Futenma Air Base is. He took Naomi around the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Base, which occupied the land in the middle of Ginowan City, surrounded by wire mesh and explained the anti-base activities he was involved in from the observation deck of the park where the entire Futenma base could be seen.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/00/4106406060.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1152700" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/00/755879041.jpg" alt="history,war,vietnam,okinawa" /></a></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Futenma Air Base was built after the war by the U.S. military confiscating private lands. Helicopters and aircrafts take off and landing make terrible noise, and the surrounding area is a densely populated urban area. It is also very dangerous when an accident occurred. </span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">In 1996, the U.S. and Japanese governments agreed to return the land, but with terms attached. The idea was to build a base with the same function in another location on the same main island of Okinawa.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">For residents living in Ginowan, this would lead to the elimination of the noise and risk of accidents, but for the people of Okinawa Prefecture as a whole, the burden of the base would remain unchanged. It is not fair to think that more than 70% of all U.S. military base and facility area in Japan, are placed in Okinawa which accounted for only about 1% of the total area of Japan. </span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The majority of Okinawans insisted that if the Futenma Air Base was to be relocated, it should be outside of Okinawa Prefecture. But the Japan government continued to adhere to the policy of relocation within the prefecture.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The relocation site was determined to be Henoko on the east coast of Nago City, located in the northern part of the main island of Okinawa. It was home to Camp Schwab, a U.S. Marine Corps training base. It was a base with a beach facing the coast, and the idea was to reclaim the beach and build two runways.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/939687270.2.JPG" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1152701" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/1650160973.2.JPG" alt="history,war,vietnam,okinawa" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/01/4124623535.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1152714" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/01/2238281926.png" alt="history,war,vietnam,okinawa" /></a></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The Henoko area around Camp Schwab had far fewer people than Futenma Base surrounding area and it was like a village lined with private houses and small shops, and it had the atmosphere of an idyllic country town. Compared to Tokyo, it was much quieter. She went to Henoko with Genjiro. It was about an hour drive from Futenma. It was a different world for Naomi, a city woman.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">It sounded reasonable to claim that it was safer than Futenma because it was not a densely packed and the village was facing the coast, but in fact it had other various problems. Even though there were fewer people than Futenma, there were people living there. More than 1,000 people had taken up residence around Camp Schwab.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The Henoko sea, which would be reclaimed in the area, was home to rare coral reefs and the endangered marine mammal dugong. There are many problems from the viewpoint of nature conservation.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">More recently, a problem had emerged that it might be impossible to complete even if the land was reclaimed because of the deep soft ground in the reclaimed sea area. In that case, it was impossible for Futenma Air Base to be returned. For these reasons, Okinawa Prefecture revoked the approval of the Okinawa Defense Bureau, the prefectural authority, for a landfill, which was the owner of the construction work. However, the Ministry of Defense has restarted the construction with the court invalidating the prefecture’s revocation.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The installation of seawalls to reclaim the coast of Henoko is progressing steadily. The sea was surrounded by a seawall wharf and sediment was poured into it.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">After the relocation plan was announced, people from inside and outside Okinawa Prefecture gathered in Henoko and campaigned against the construction.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">From the beach, where the revetment for reclamation could be seen, tents had been set up to monitor the construction. She looked out to sea from the tent.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/3250873198.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1152702" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/449313686.jpg" alt="history,war,vietnam,okinawa" /></a></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">It was a truly beautiful sea that shined in the light green color typical of Okinawa. The sea was separated by a seawall wharf. The beach is fenced on the border with the base.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/2868924832.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1152703" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/2569528278.jpg" alt="history,war,vietnam,okinawa" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/1961193219.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1152704" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/2652206375.jpg" alt="history,war,vietnam,okinawa" /></a></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">When constructing a seawall or injecting sediment, activists took kayaks from the beach to the construction site at sea to protest.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/1158370757.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1152705" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/3497684178.jpg" alt="history,war,vietnam,okinawa" /></a></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">On the road side of the Camp Schwab entrance gate on the land side, a larger tent was set up to accommodate hundreds of people. From there, they could monitor the construction vehicles entering the base, and when the construction vehicles entered, they sat in front of the gate and took action to prevent them.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/536494380.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1152706" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/205529848.jpg" alt="history,war,vietnam,okinawa" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/3194312273.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1152707" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/874540106.jpg" alt="history,war,vietnam,okinawa" /></a></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Naomi looked at the Camp Schwab surrounded by wire mesh. Is this what a U.S. military base were? There were also U.S. military bases on the mainland Japan. Like Yokota Air Base in Tokyo and the naval base in Yokosuka, but these were located in the suburbs and were not conspicuous. </span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">She was amazed at the sight of the line-up of wire mesh fence, as if intimidating to a small island like Okinawa. While driving from Futenma Air Base to Henoko, she saw a wire mesh fences one after another. It was a base island.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/2223077463.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1152708" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/1191469031.jpg" alt="history,war,vietnam,okinawa" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/3986057916.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1152709" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/2617185594.jpg" alt="history,war,vietnam,okinawa" /></a></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Naomi was to perform her singing proudly in the tent in front of the gate. After making speech to nearly a hundred activists gathered in the tent, Genjiro introduced her and she responded to a request to sing a song about the peace movement against the bases of war.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">She brought a guitar. She was asked if she could sing a song about peace, and then suddenly came up with Gilleaux's "戦争を知らない子供たち, Senso Wo Shiranai Kodomotachi (Children Who Don't Know War)".</span></p><p><br /><iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kt0q-F8okvM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" title="戦争を知らない子供たち 杉田二郎"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The lyrics were something like, "We are the generation born after the war, that we grew up not knowing war, so we are children who know only peaceful times and do not know about wars."</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Since the song was released in 1971, it seems that the song reflects an era in which the younger generation did not know about the war but adults still had strong memories of the 2nd world war. Nowadays, even adults did not know about war.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">But inside the wire mesh fence, youngsters trained for war and wage war all over the world. More recently, it had also sent troops to the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. The base for training such soldiers was Camp S
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlFilm ”Platoon” America is no longer the police of the worldtag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2022-02-28:32654252022-02-28T15:40:00+01:002022-02-28T15:40:00+01:00 Academy winning film (1986) directed by Oliver Stone. A young...
<p>Academy winning film (1986) directed by Oliver Stone. </p><p>A young American boy joined the military force combatting in South Vietnam, and witnessed the hell including division within the comrades. </p><p>Although it gained a good reputation, it wasn't as good as I expected. </p><p>I liked "Born on the 4th of July" better among Oliver Stone's Vietnam films. </p><p>The cause for the Vietnam War was to defend Vietnamese from communism. </p><p>But they failed. Then they failed in Iraq and Afghanistan later. </p><p>Now the war between Russia and Ukraine broke out. US seemed to side Ukraine but announced they would not send any troops to help Ukraine fight against Russians. It was a kind of betrayal act since US said they would not block Ukraine from joining NATO and in the past signed the memorandum that ensures security of Ukraine in exchange for abandoning nuclear weapons of former Soviet Union. </p><p>America proved themselves to be no police of the world. </p><p>So please remove unnecessary forces from our country and stop building a new base on a beautiful island and the sea along the island as I mentioned in <a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/archive/2021/05/31/dear-us-government-regarding-usmc-new-base-construction-in-o-3253568.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this post</a>. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/1321953593.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1142254" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/1872315926.jpg" alt="war,vietnam, Okinawa" /></a></p><p>Learning more about history of America's vietnam war and the island where a new base is being built currently, I came up with a novel and started to write on my <a href="https://masagata.exblog.jp/31003860/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Japanese blog</a>. The story took place on the island. A Japanese female singer in 21st century time-slipped to the Vietnam war era in a bar on the island and met with American soldiers. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><img id="media-1142211" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/00/470223786.jpg" alt="War, Vietnam" /></p><p>After I finish writing up the story, I am planning to post English translation on this blog. </p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlDear US Congressmembers and Senator Re:Okinawa USMC issuetag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2019-10-20:31428472019-10-20T18:14:00+02:002019-10-20T18:14:00+02:00 Rep. Don Bacon, Rep. Ruben Gallego, Rep. Seth Moulton, Rep. Jack Bergman,...
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Rep. Don Bacon, Rep. Ruben Gallego, Rep. Seth Moulton, Rep. Jack Bergman, Rep. Steve Womack, and Senator Marsha Blackburn, who met Mr. Denny Tamaki, governor of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan and discussed Okinawa USMC new base construction issue in third week of October 2019</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">My name is MASAGATA, a Japanese man living in Tokyo. I've been engaged in this issue as a citizen. I used to study at San Francisco State University, where I majored in International Relations. I am now working as a translator using the English knowledge I acquired in the US. </span></p><p><br /><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I am writing this letter to urge Congressmembers and Senator to include the item that US military review relocation of Marine Corp. in Okinawa to Guam in currently finalizing National Defense Authority Act in a joint committee of the US Congress. The Senate passed the legislation that included the item but Congress did not.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I am very sure that you are aware of this issue since you are one of members in a joint Armed Services committee handling this matter and met Mr. Denny Tamaki, Governor of Okinawa Prefecture in Japan.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Last year and five years ago, I wrote to US Ambassadors to Japan regarding the same issue. This is modified version of <a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/archive/2018/06/21/dear-us-ambassador-to-japan-regarding-okinawa-issue-3111458.html">the letter</a> with update information.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The below is main points I would like to describe in this letter.</span></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">1. What has been going on up until now</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">2. Locals strongly oppose the new base construction</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">3. Precious wildlife and ecosystem are threatened</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">4. Technically, physically infeasible project</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">5. This construction might deteriorate friendship between the two nations</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">6. Your Servicemen and women are living with hostility in Okinawa</span></strong></p><p><br /><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">1. What has been going on up until now</span></strong></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Okinawa is chain of islands and southernmost prefecture below mainland Japan. The climate is subtropical and blessed with abundance of nature surrounded by coral reef. It is 3 hour-flight from Tokyo and very famous for marine leisure tourism just like Hawaii for Americans. In fact Okinawa went through the same path as Hawaii did. Until the end of 19th century it was an independent kingdom but annexed by mainland force. In 1945 US forces occupied Okinawa and then Okinawa has been occupied until 1972, which is 20 years after mainland Japan regained sovereignty and was the only place that experienced ground battles within Japan, causing 200,000 civilian casualties during WW II.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In 1996 both the American and Japanese governments agreed to relocate US Marine Corp. Futenma base in Ginowan City to Camp Schwab to get away from the densely populated area around Futenma. Camp Schwab is on the coastline of the island, in an area called Henoko. The relocation plan includes reclamation of the sea to build a new base that consists of two runways and ports expanding existing facility. Schwab is located in between Henoko coast (left) and Oura Bay (right) as you see in the photo. (Taken in January 2018)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/01/939687270.JPG" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1077319" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/01/1650160973.JPG" alt="P1100703.JPG" /></a></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">2. Locals strongly oppose the new base construction</span></strong></p><p><br /><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Since the plan was announced, locals and activists from all over Japan have been protesting the new base construction by holding referendums, supporting candidates of mayoral and gubernatorial elections, and municipal assembly members, who oppose the construction, as well as sit-in demonstration at the gate of Camp Schwab and kayaking at the landfilling site as civil disobedience act. Until now, tens of protesters were arrested and injured by police at the gate or coast of Camp Schwab.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img id="media-1077439" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/02/3497684178.jpg" alt="military,okinawa" /></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Last year’s September, Okinawans elected Denny Tamaki as a Governor of Okinawa after sudden death of then governor Takeshi Onaga, who was opposed to the new base construction. Mr. Tamaki succeeded the will of Onaga and won the election. He was formerly a Diet, Japan’s National Assembly member. His father was a US Marine serviceman stationed in Okinawa and mother was Okinawan native. It was first time in Japan that a mixed race man was elected as governor of one Prefecture. He proved that Japan is no longer homogeneous population and the nation can tolerate diversity.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/00/981314882.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1077320" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/00/3021350599.jpg" alt="IMG_20180909_170956.jpg" /> </a><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/945507473.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1077321" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/2137256666.jpg" alt="IMG_20180916_110905.jpg" /></a></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">(Photos were taken by me during gubernatorial election in September 2018)</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">This year’s February, Okinawa held referendum to ask whether locals approve or oppose the landfill work at Henoko Bay for the construction of a new United States Marine Corp base. The outcome was that 71% of voters oppose the new base construction. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In April and July of this year Diet member elections were held and in Okinawa constituency, candidates who announced opposition to the new base construction won in both times. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Therefore local opposition is very obvious and hasn’t changed for decades. </span></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">3. Precious wildlife and ecosystem are threatened</span></strong></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Many environmental activists also oppose the plan because of the abundance of forms of wildlife that are unique to the area around Camp Schwab.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/00/1628948382.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1077322" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/00/427556900.jpg" alt="Jfkdugong.jpg" /></a></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">This photo is of a dugong, an endangered marine mammal that eats grasses in the sea. It is just ridiculous that the nation that protests Japan’s whaling in the Antarctic Sea – and even dolphin hunting in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture that former Ambassador Kennedy was eager to protest – is helping to threaten another marine mammals that live in Japan.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In Oura Bay, the world’s largest, oldest and northernmost blue coral lives and has continued to grow for 3000 years.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/01/1585786050.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1077323" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/01/2697564847.jpg" alt="IMG_20180428_140517.jpg" /></a></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Many new species are discovered in the bay recently. A lot more may be still undiscovered.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">On Henoko coast, the sea is enclosed and being reclaimed and dugongs and other creatures’ lives would be threatened. Dugongs’ sea grass is found in the reclaiming area. They will lose their feeding place. As for blue coral, reclaimed space would change the sea current and might adversely affect life of the coral. Then what will happen is that your nation will be accused of helping to diminish such wonderful and rare creatures.</span></p><p><br /><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Actually, the Japanese Ministry of Defense carried out an environmental assessment in which it was claimed that there were no dugongs in the sea. But the environmental organizations such as WWF and The Nature Conservation Society of Japan claim that the MoD’s assessment was wrong and the organizations’ own research found clear traces confirming the existence of dugongs. Recently, Okinawa’s local newspaper revealed the news that the MoD was aware of the finding but had covered it up.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Because of these facts, the petition to the White House to halt landfilling of the sea was launched last year. </span><br /><a href="https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/stop-landfill-henoko-oura-bay-until-referendum-can-be-held-okinawa"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/stop-landfill-henoko-oura-bay-until-referendum-can-be-held-okinawa</span></a><br /><span style="font-size: 10pt;">(Stop the landfill of Henoko / Oura Bay until a referendum can be held in Okinawa Created by R.K. on December 08, 2018)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">More than 200000 signatures were collected in two months. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The petition campaign was led by a famous fashion model and TV personality, Laura (Mixed race woman between Japanese and Bangladesh), who posted the petition campaign on her Instagram page. She was an environmental activist.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/2627384467.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1077437" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/1169840491.jpg" alt="military,okinawa" /></a></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">4. Technically, physically infeasible project</span></strong></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">There are technical issues revealing infeasibility of the construction project as follows.</span></p><p><br /><span style="font-size: 10pt;">• Active faults are found down below planned construction site of runways. If that is the case in California, the project wouldn’t be permitted. </span></p><p><br /><span style="font-size: 10pt;">• Around planned construction site of runways there are buildings higher than US military aviation standard, flying helicopters or ospreys there might cause collision with these buildings, similar situation to Futenma Air Base in Ginowan city. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/235273244.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1077438" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/2195849426.jpg" alt="military,okinawa" /></a></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The buildings include school and its dormitory at which young students attend classes or reside. The school officials were not informed of this matter until recently. No plan of relocation is announced although a power transmission tower next to the building was already planned to relocate from that site. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/01/754973257.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1077324" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/01/2908309307.jpg" alt="IMG_20180428_122112.jpg" /></a></p><p><br /><span style="font-size: 10pt;">• Geological survey conducted in the sea to landfill indicates sea ground is too soft to pile soil on like mayonnaise, which consumes more budget and time to landfill so the construction period should be much longer than expected like <strong>20</strong> years from now.</span></p><p><br /><span style="font-size: 10pt;">It is possible that the project is cancelled halfway for some reason but irreversible damages would be left together with grudge from locals. Some portion of the budget for relocation of Marine Corp. to Guam is spared by US Government. That means this project wastes not only Japanese tax payers’ money but Americans as well. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 10pt;">It has been done for the interests of the few. The few, you might know, are certain businesses and government people who want some gains from the project. One of major contractors of the project is Taisei Kensetsu Corporation, where son of current Cabinet Secretary, Mr Suga, works.</span></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">5. This construction might deteriorate friendship between the two nations</span></strong></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">You might say this issue is something to be handled by the Japanese government, and that it is not the responsibility of the US military. But that sounds very hypocritical. The US military is the one that uses the facility and up until now involved in designing of new runways and annexed facilities. The US government can cancel that project and find another relocation site outside Okinawa. If the US continues to attribute this to the Japanese government, it is just like what Japanese conservative politicians say when it comes to the “Comfort Women” issue: “The Japanese Imperial Army was not responsible for kidnapping women in Asia for sexual slavery for soldiers during the war period in the early 20th century, it was what outsourced local brothels did.” The US Congress disavowed such argument and made a resolution to demand that the Japanese government apologize for former comfort women in 2007.</span></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Doubts about US military committment to Japan's defense</span></strong></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In fact, the US military presence in Okinawa and even nationwide is becoming nothing but troublesome. More of us know that the US military presence no longer functions as defense or deterrence like in the Cold War era. China is said to be a new threat but we know that US-China relations have become more vital for your nation since China owns more US treasury bonds and buys more US goods than Japan does. China has become a larger economy than Japan these days.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Mr. Trump imposed sanction on China for trade issue recently but Japan is a prime target as well since Japan has run surplus on trade with US like Canada and Europe. Mr. Trump’s sanction tells how important and influential China has been for US economy. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 10pt;">We can easily predict that the US would not help Japan even if China and Japan became involved in a dispute for some reason such as the territorial right to the Senkaku islands located in between sea border of Japan and China. The US cannot send troops to assist Japan fighting against the Chinese military because such action might cause great losses for your national interests. China has many ways to sanction your nation as already did recently. China also played a big role in negotiating with North Korea. China is vital for US politics as well as economy.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Military experts and even former US military officials say that the biggest reason that the US military forces stay in Japan is to cut cost of their own because Japan provides host nation support fund, which we call “Sympathy Budget” that accounts for more than 70% of total expense for the US bases in Japan. There are more than 130 facilities of US military in Japan. Most of the troops are stationed at 30 facilities in Okinawa prefecture that accounts for 1 % of total of Japan’s territory and population.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">During Vietnam War, it was a transit point to transport soldiers, military weapons and equipment. Now there is no strategic importance. How many of US congressmen and senators knows Okinawa? Is this place worth keeping bases in? </span></p><p><br /><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Deploying your military so much in our country, especially Okinawa is just causing growing distrust against your country. I believe the Okinawa issue presents the perfect timing for your nation to rethink its military deployment in Japan in order to improve the relationship between the two nations. Constructing a base on reclaimed land in the Henoko sea is the worst possible idea. </span></p><p><br /><span style="font-size: 10pt;">US military presence functions to apply American influence on our nation. Yes, it did work that way but you really have to know this may be working negatively. The image of your country itself is no longer positive like in the past. In other words, the US is no longer a powerful land of dreams, nor is it any longer a role model for us. One example of this can be seen in a recent best-selling book on your country’s poverty issue. The title of the book is “<a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/archive/2008/08/28/empire-of-poverty-hinkon-taikoku-america.html">Rupo Hinkontaikoku America” (Report, Poverty Superpower, America</a>). It was written by a Japanese journalist, TSUTSUMI Mika. The book describes how Americans are struggling with poverty in a plutonomy society and explains how Japan should not follow suit. </span></p><p><br /><span style="font-size: 10pt;">We know that a lot of young Marine troops stationed there come from poor families that cannot afford college education and have problems like domestic violence. They join the Marines by system, so called, Poverty Draft. That is why they cause troubles with Okinawa locals.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>6. Your Servicemen and women are living with hostility</strong> </span></p><p><br /><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Just recently, US Marines faced apparent resistance from locals and activists. On September 17, 2019 citizens blocked civilian port entry of US Marine vehicles carrying a boat for training at Motobu Pier in Motobu town, 30 minutes drive from Camp Schwab. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/01/396058111.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1077329" style="margin: 0.2em auto 0.7em; display: block;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/01/688990091.jpg" alt="military, Okinawa," /></a><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/2776039324.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img id="media-1077330" style="margin: 0.2em auto 0.7em; display: block;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/1968815564.jpg" alt="military, Okinawa," /></a></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Young military servicemen and women had to hear yel
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlDear US Ambassador to Japan, regarding Okinawa issuetag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2018-06-21:31114582018-06-21T16:28:00+02:002018-06-21T16:28:00+02:00 I sent a letter to US Ambassador to Japan, Mr. Bill Hagerty today. It should...
<p style="text-align: center;">I sent a letter to US Ambassador to Japan, Mr. Bill Hagerty today. It should be handed to him next Monday hopelly.</p><p>The below is what I wrote to him.</p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Dear Mr. Ambassador Hagerty,</span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">June 24, 2018</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">My name is MASAGATA, a Japanese man living in Tokyo. I used to study at San Francisco State University, where I majored in International Relations. I am now working as a translator using the English knowledge I acquired in the US. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">I am writing this letter to tell you about a matter that is very important to both of our nations. I am sure that you are well aware of many issues between the two nations. I would like to mention the most important of these: a matter that might result in long-term deterioration of the current healthy relationship between the two nations. I urge your government to rethink its ways of dealing with this issue. Four years ago, I wrote to former Ambassador Caroline Kennedy regarding the same issue. This is modified version of <a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/archive/2014/02/16/dear-madame-ambassador-kennedy-2994738.html">the letter </a>with update information. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">The matter in question is the relocation of the US Marine Base from Futenma in Ginowan City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan’s southernmost tropical islands, which are a little like Hawaii. In 1996 both the American and Japanese governments agreed to relocate Futenma base to Camp Schwab to get away from the densely populated area around Futenma. Camp Schwab is on the coastline of the island, in an area called Henoko. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/2211508607.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img id="media-1010480" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/3717960526.jpg" alt="IMG_20180526_115822-PANO.jpg" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;" align="center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">I am sure you have already been there and talked with Okinawa governor, Mr. Onaga about this issue. As you may know, there has been a local resistance movement since the relocation plan was announced. Locals near Camp Schwab are concerned about the deterioration of their living environment. Many environmental activists also oppose the plan because of the abundance of forms of wildlife that are unique to the area around Camp Schwab. The relocation plan includes reclamation of the sea to build two runways expanding existing facility. Schwab is located in between Henoko coast (left) and Oura Bay (right). </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/939687270.JPG" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img id="media-1010479" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/1650160973.JPG" alt="Okinawa, " /></a></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">This photo is of a dugong, an endangered marine mammal that eats grasses in the sea. It is just ridiculous that the nation that protests Japan’s whaling in the Antarctic Sea – and even dolphin hunting in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture that former Ambassador Kennedy was eager to protest – is helping to threaten another marine mammals that live in Japan. </span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/1628948382.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img id="media-1010481" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/427556900.jpg" alt="Jfkdugong.jpg" /></a></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">In Oura Bay, the world’s largest, oldest and northernmost blue coral lives and has continued to grow for 3000 years. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/00/3658617135.JPG" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img id="media-1010483" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/00/1950380997.JPG" alt="coral" /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></a></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Many new species are discovered in the bay recently. A lot more may be still undiscovered. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/00/3546248670.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img id="media-1010484" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/00/2784727975.jpg" alt="IMG_20180526_091720.jpg" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">On Henoko coast, the sea is enclosed and scheduled to be reclaimed in August and dugongs and other creatures’ lives would be threatened. Dugongs’ sea grass is found in the reclaiming area. They will lose their feeding place. As for blue coral, reclaimed space would change the sea current and might adversely affect life of the coral. Then what will happen is that your nation will be accused of helping to diminish such wonderful and rare creatures for the interests of the few. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">The few, you might know, are certain businesses and government people who want some gains from the project. One of major contractors of the project is Taisei Kensetsu Corporation, where son of current Cabinet Secretary, Mr Suga, works. Actually, the Japanese Ministry of Defense carried out an environmental assessment in which it was claimed that there were no dugongs in the sea. But the environmental organizations such as WWF and The Nature Conservation Society of Japan claim that the MoD’s assessment was wrong and the organizations’ own research found clear traces confirming the existence of dugongs. Recently, Okinawa’s local newspaper revealed the news that the MoD was aware of the finding but had covered it up. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">On November 22<sup>nd</sup>, 2013, in Nago City (to which Camp Schwab is attached), the city council made a resolution demanding the Okinawa Governor not to permit landfilling of the sea. However, the governor permitted the landfill in December even though a majority of Okinawans disapproved his decision. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">The following month, in January, Okinawa Prefectural Council made a resolution demanding the Governor’s resignation. Okinawan protest activists announced legal action against the prefectural government in order to cancel the permit. Later, on January 19<sup>th</sup>, the mayor of Nago City, INAMINE Susumu was re-elected because of public support for his policy of the city’s refusing corporation with central and US governments regarding construction of the new base project. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">However, last February INAMINE lost to a candidate Mr. Toguchi who was backed up by the Japanese government’s ruling parties. But Mr. Toguchi never mentioned whether he agree the relocation plan or not during the election campaign, rather he claimed that he request the US Marines move out of Okinawa. So he could not be seen as pro-relocation and construction of new base in Henoko from voters’ perspective although he is betraying the voters’ expectation now. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">You might say this issue is something to be handled by the Japanese government, and that it is not the responsibility of the US military. But that sounds very hypocritical. The US military is the one that uses the facility and up until now involved in designing of new runways and annexed facilities. The US government can cancel that project and find another relocation site outside Okinawa. If the US continues to attribute this to the Japanese government, it is just like what Japanese conservative politicians say when it comes to the “Comfort Women” issue: “The Japanese Imperial Army was not responsible for kidnapping women in Asia for sexual slavery for soldiers during the war period in the early 20<sup>th</sup> century, it was what outsourced local brothels did.” The US Congress disavowed such argument and made a resolution to demand that the Japanese government apologize for former comfort women in 2007.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Until now, tens of protestant were arrested and injured by police at the gate or coast of Camp Schwab. Such news reports have been broadcast all over Japan. The construction will take many years to complete, while resentment is continuing to build. Your military and diplomats are dealing with such problems for a very long time. Young marines trained there as well. During mayoral election, I met group of young marines in Nago city. I talked to them but they said they were not allowed to talk with strangers. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Besides these factors, there are technical issues revealing infeasibility of the construction project as follows.</span></p><ul><li style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Active faults are found to exit down below planned construction site of runways. If that is the case in California, the project wouldn’t be permitted. </span></li><li style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Around planned construction site of runways are buildings higher than US military aviation standard, flying there might cause collision with these buildings, similar situation to Futenma Air Base in Ginowan city. The buildings include school and its dormitory at which young students attend classes or reside. The school officials were not informed of this matter until recently. No plan of relocation is announced although a power transmission tower next to the building was already planned to relocate from that site. </span></li><li style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/4106571320.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img id="media-1010485" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/1761106014.jpg" alt="henoko_school.jpg" /></a></p></li><li style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Geological survey conducted in the sea indicates seabed is too fragile to reclaim like mayonnaise, which consumes more budget and time so the construction period should be much longer than expected like 15 years from now.</span></li></ul><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">It is possible that the project is cancelled halfway for some reason but irreversible damages would be left together with grudge from locals. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">In fact, the US military presence in Okinawa and even nationwide is becoming nothing but troublesome. More of us know that the US military presence no longer functions as defense or deterrence like in the Cold War era. China is said to be a new threat but we know that US-China relations have become more vital for your nation since China owns more US treasury bonds and buys more US goods than Japan does. China has become a larger economy than Japan these days. Trade amount between US and China is three times more than that between US and Japan. President Trump’s family has businesses in China. Unlike former Presidents, Mr. Trump never mentioned human rights issues in China. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Mr. Trump imposed sanctioned on China for trade issue recently but Japan is a prime target as well since Japan has run surplus on trade with US like Canada and Europe. Mr. Trump’s sanction tells how important and influential China has been for US economy. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">We can easily predict that the US would not help Japan even if China and Japan became involved in a dispute for some reason such as the territorial right to the Senkaku islands. The US cannot send troops to assist Japan fighting against the Chinese military because such action might cause great losses for your national interests. China has many ways to sanction your nation as already did recently. China also played a big role in negotiating with North Korea. China is vital for US politics as well as economy. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Military experts say that the biggest reason that the US military forces stay in Japan is to cut cost of their own because Japan provides host nation support fund, which we call “Sympathy Budget” that accounts for more than 70% of total expense for the US bases in Japan. There are more than 130 facilities of US military in Japan. Most of the troops are stationed at 30 facilities in Okinawa prefecture that accounts for 1 % of total of Japan’s territory and population. Okinawa has been occupied until 1972, which is 20 years after mainland Japan regained sovereignty and was the only place that experienced ground battles within Japan, causing 200,000 civilian casualties during WW II. During Vietnam War, it was a transit point to transport soldiers, military weapons and equipment. Now there is no strategic importance. How many of US congressmen and senators knows Okinawa? Is this place worth keeping bases in? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Deploying your military so much in our country, especially Okinawa is just causing growing distrust against your country. I believe the Okinawa issue presents the perfect timing for your nation to rethink its military deployment in Japan in order to improve the relationship between the two nations. Constructing a base on reclaimed land in the Henoko sea is the worst possible idea. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">US military presence functions to apply American influence on our nation. Yes, it did work that way but you really have to know this may be working negatively. The image of your country itself is no longer positive like in the past. In other words, the US is no longer a powerful land of dreams, nor is it any longer a role model for us. One example of this can be seen in a recent best-selling book on your country’s poverty issue. The title of the book is “Rupo Hinkontaikoku America” (Report, Poverty Superpower, America). It was written by a Japanese journalist, TSUTSUMI Mika. The book describes how Americans are struggling with poverty in a plutonomy society and explains how Japan should not follow suit. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">We know that a lot of young Marine troops stationed there come from poor families that cannot afford college education and have problems like domestic violence. They join the Marines by system, so called, Poverty Draft. That is why they cause troubles with Okinawa locals. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">The interesting thing to note is that Japan was democratized and the wealth of the nation was redistributed from pre-war plutonomy by the US occupying forces. Thanks to them, Japan has become the most egalitarian society among industrialized nations. We do appreciate that. We are always good friends to you as long as you are what you should be. However, recently I, myself turned a former friend due to what is happening in Okinawa. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">When Okinawa was first occupied by US Army which defeated Japanese Imperial Army, Okinawans saw Americans arrived there as liberators but later that was found to be false. But this time is a greatest chance to be the one since the Japanese government is too rigid to hear voice of Okinawa. Please do not miss this chance. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">As for practical solutions, I recommend your organization to review a proposal by a private think tank, The New Diplomacy Initiatives (</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><a title="http://www.nd-initiative.org/en/" href="http://www.nd-initiative.org/en/"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">http://www.nd-initiative.org/en/</span></a></span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">), which suggests removal of US Marine bases from Okinawa but instead, establishing joint Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief (HA/DR) Corp. with Japan’s Self-Defense Force equipped with high speed transport vessels, which rotates around East Asia. It is cost-effective and able to contribute to security of the region. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Sincerely, </span></p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlTrump is the very American Presidenttag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2017-08-16:30954212017-08-16T11:36:00+02:002017-08-16T11:36:00+02:00 The world is shocked by white supremacists' march and subsequent terror...
<p>The world is shocked by white supremacists' march and subsequent terror attack to its counterprotestors in Charlottesville, Virginia, and President Trump's response to the incident.</p><p>To me, it was the same day I participated in a peace march protected by the police force and met with nationalist counterprotestors on the sidewalk. Prior to the march, the police blockaded the roads so no nationalist would not enter the march route. The peace activists protest the Yasukuni Shrine ideology (justifying Japan's invasion of Asian neighbors) and its enshrinement of the war dead in WW II. Just like General Lee Statue of the Confederate Army.</p><p><img id="media-970717" style="float: left; margin: 0.2em 1.4em 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/00/1569487451.jpg" alt="racism, history, okinawa, Trump," /></p><p><img id="media-970718" style="float: left; margin: 0.2em 1.4em 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/01/2952429360.jpg" alt="racism, history, okinawa, Trump," />What happened in Charlottesville is reverse. The marchers were nationalists.</p><p> </p><p>Donald Trump has been criticized for his not naming white supremacists or Neo-Nazis as offenders, instead he blamed "many sides" or "both sides" for the incident.</p><p>He claimed that if they wanted to remove General Lee statue because of slavery related history, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson should be removed as well because they were slave owners.</p><p>Yes, he made points. America is founded on slavery, and massacre of Native Americans.</p><p>Liberals and mainstream media have harshly criticized Trump's statements, which seemed to condone white supremacists' action. More and more people join counterprotest to the rise of white nationalist movement. But it is the fact that some portion, not very small portion of the population supports white nationalist views. That is why he was elected.</p><p>America is in fact, European immigrants nation. Majority should be white. In coming decades, white will not be majority but fall into minority, less than half. Currently still more than 60%. Silent white majority now feels threatened because true American identity may be lost. Trump exposed true nature of America.</p><p>America, as melting pot, salad ball, mosaic is in fact, illusion. The reality is white dominated Christian base society. If other people want to join, they have to compromise to be second-class citizen. That is the same everywhere in the world. It is very, very difficult to change the society. Tradition and core demography cannot be changed easily whether it is good or evil. Obama, as Black president was exceptional. That is why such whitelash is happening.</p><p>To me as Japanese, if America is not white majority nation, it is not America I know. Most of Hollywood film actors are white. So it is the time we, Japanese and other people in the world to change the view of America.</p><p>America is no longer or has not traditionally, free and democratic and friendly nation that respects diversity and dignity of other people than whites. They were really good at advertising good images but the truth is not how they portrayed themselves to the world.</p><p>Good example is Guam in US Pacific territory and Okinawa, Japan.</p><p>Guam people have no rights to elect US President. Guam is small islands but one-third of the areas is occupied by US military bases. Locals have no rights to change the situation just like a colony.</p><p>In Okinawa, there has been anti-US military base movement led by Okinawa prefectural governor, Onaga. Majority of prefectural residents want US military, especially Marines out of their land. But the U.S. persists in stationing there in the name of defense of Japan, which in fact, they do not so.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img id="media-970721" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/1680494089.JPG" alt="racism, history, okinawa, Trump," /></p><p>Good thing about Trump is he insists on removal of US forces from Japan because US no longer wants to defend foreign nations but prioritise domestic issues. Other US Presidents look politer but still want to keep hegemony of the world. Trump is destroying his nation's reputation so that US cannot lead the world any longer. More and more people stop treating America as the world leader or a role model of the democracy.</p><p>Trump looks crazy but may try to normalise his nation and the world. </p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlUS Marine Osprey crashed in Okinawa, Japan! Finally!tag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2016-12-30:30852282016-12-30T06:15:00+01:002016-12-30T06:15:00+01:00 An osprey (helo-plane type flying vehicle) crashed on the coast of Nago...
<p>An osprey (helo-plane type flying vehicle) crashed on the coast of Nago city, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, Dec 13. A major accident finally occurred 4 years after deployment in Okinawa. That was in fact, anticipated 4 years ago. Read <a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/archive/2012/10/08/japan-s-protest-against-osprey-mv-22-deployment.html" target="_blank">this post</a>.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img id="media-948166" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/02/1813400811.jpg" alt="military,okinawa" /></p><p>The crash site was near the US Marine Camp Schwab. The osprey seemed trying to land there after its propeller was damaged while inflight refueling training and had lost control of it. The accident was classified as Class A, highest rank, loss amount was more than 80 million US $. The osprey was torn apart to more than 4 pieces.</p><p>Top ranking official of US military stationed in Okinawa, named Nicolson, said Okinawans should appreciate pilots had avoided landing on nearby ground so no civilian casualty was caused. That comment outraged Okinawans who have been opposed to osprey deployment for a long time because of defective structure of the vehicle. Osprey cause accidents 3 times more frequent than other helicoptors. That rate has not changed since it was first introduced in US Marine more than 10 years ago. </p><p>The news was reported and broadcasted nationwide. Not only Okinawa locals but Japanese citizens in general felt very distrustful of the U.S. army and the U.S government.</p><p>This crash accident is related to ongoing construction of new runways in U.S. Marine Camp Schwab site. A hundred ospreys will be deployed there after completion of the runways by landfilling the sea.</p><p>Okinawa governor, Onaga once cancelled landfill permit which was signed by a former governor but this month a week after the accident, Japan's Supreme Court made a ruling that Onaga's cancellation was illegal. Then he revived landfill permit but insists on his firm determination of stopping the construction by whatever method he could use. He still holds many authorities to do that.</p><p>Japan's central government and U.S. government do not mind local protest and proceed construction.</p><p>What will happen next year? The construction will never be done but distrutst and grudge will grow.</p><p>More news related to this construction and osprey will come up. US government might think it is a small matter in the far east. Actually this news is not widely reported in US. </p><p>As I described in this blog, more Japanese are learning US military stationed in Japan no longer functions as defense. It is just for two nations' political or military establishment who want to maintain US-Japan defense treaty system.</p><p>At Japan's considerate citizen and Okinawa local level, US is just losing trust and friends by this issue.</p><p>US seemed very near-sighted. Maybe Japan is not very important any longer since China has become bigger economic power. But China cannot share the same democratic values with US like Japan does in East Asian region. Japan is necessary as bypass between US and China in many occasions.</p><p>But it is time that Japan diverts from friendship with America.</p><p>Okinawa might turn to be another Pearl Harbor between two nations.</p><p>Things might change if newly elected President Donald Trump alters the course. He may do so since he insisted on withdrawing US troops from Japan during the election campaign. He may find Okinawa bases are nothing but budget wasting place.</p><p>I am not very sure but he seems to know Japan very well since he has been to Japan many times as a businessman. One time he claimed Japan can defend itself like it did in the past like occupying China and ruled Korean peninsular. He looked not so intelligent but very clever and somehow very knowledgeable.</p><p>As for this Okinawa matter, Trump might be able to handle more wisely than Obama and Clinton (as Secretary of State) has done up to this point.</p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlOkinawans are Rosa Parks and LIBERTARIANtag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2016-09-04:30790672016-09-04T14:53:00+02:002016-09-04T14:53:00+02:00 I stayed in Takae district, Higashi village in Okinawa...
<p style="text-align: center;"><img id="media-932097" style="margin: 0.7em 0px;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/01/2594425279.JPG" alt="DSC_6292.JPG" /> </p><p style="text-align: left;">I stayed in Takae district, Higashi village in Okinawa Prefecture last week. I have been there more than 10 times in last 7 years. Okinawa is southernmost prefecture, 3 hour flight from Tokyo, which is tropical and whose population is 1.4 million. It is like Hawaii or Guam in the U.S.</p><p>Articles in <a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/tag/okinawa" target="_blank">Okinawa tag </a>describes what is happening there. As described, Okinawans are in desperate situation. They confront with new US military construction plans. One is in Henoko, Nago city, where US Marine Camp Schwab is located. V shape runways construction is planned landfilling the sea by the beach of Camp Schwab.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img id="media-932099" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/442530508.JPG" alt="DSC_0013.JPG" /></p><p>The other is Takae, Higashi village, where Northern Training Area is located.</p><p><img id="media-932098" style="margin: 0.2em auto 1.4em; display: block;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/02/2603182473.JPG" alt="DSC_6151.JPG" /></p><p>In Takae, construction of 6 helipads is planned in the forest near the villagers residential area.</p><p>In both cases, newly constructed bases will threaten the environment of locals as well as wildlife including endangered species. There have been protest movement such as direct action like sit-in at gates of the construction sites.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img id="media-932086" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/02/2422207372.JPG" alt="DSC_5739.JPG" /></p><p>The Japanese government is pushing forward the project using massive police forces to clear out.</p><p>In Takae, last month one gate was cleared out by removing sit-in tents at the gate. Security guards and policemen are stationed at the gate. The photos are Before on the top and After in the below. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><img id="media-932087" style="margin: 0.7em 0px;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/00/3057954580.JPG" alt="P1070380.JPG" width="210" height="157" /></p><p> <img id="media-932088" style="float: left; margin: 0.2em 1.4em 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/1672744341.jpg" alt="DSC_2475.jpg" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>But Okinawans never give in. That is their history. Since the end of second world war, Okinawa has been occupied by US military forces until return to Japan in 1972. The big bases remained even after the return to Japan.</p><p>They always had troubles with US forces. To counter the oppression, what they do is sit-in protest direct action. They keep on doing until they win. They have suceeded in the past.</p><p>This time they try. In the opposite side to the gate cleared out by the police, they set up another big tent that can house hundreds of people. There are tens of benches inside. The place was another important entrance for construction. The tent blocks contruction workers to transport machines and materials to another places. The authority demands them to clear out. They refused.</p><p><img id="media-932089" style="margin: 0.2em auto 0.7em; display: block;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/01/74542669.jpg" alt="DSC_2407.jpg" /></p><p>Inside a meeting was held every morning. The leader of protest movement said, their policy is non-violent but disobedient to the authority like Rosa Parks, Dr. King and Gandhi. They might break some laws but that doesn't matter if we can stop the worst thing. We do not have to follow bad laws. </p><p>I stayed in the tent and was told that just sitting on the bench is good enough to counter the police. If hundreds of people are inside, the police cannot move out so many people from such narrow place.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img id="media-932095" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/00/3329530034.jpg" alt="CrDm0biUMAAk1Kf.jpg" /></p><p>They also do sit-in protest on the road that construction trucks pass. Their sit-in delayed construction.</p><p>That is Okinawan way. That has been going on for decades.</p><p>Due to such circumstances, Okinawa has been most autonomous prefecture in Japan. Okinawa went through unique path. There was an independent kingdom until late 19th century. The island was annexed to Empire of Japan then. </p><p>The Okinawan government is now fighting against central government regarding landfill permit of Henoko sea. The Okinawan government invalidated landfill permit so the central government sued the Okinawa to make it validated. The verdict will be issued on 16 of September. The Okinawan government says it will fight until the end and halt landfill of Henoko and construction of new base anyway they can.</p><p>Recently independence movement has been discussed among Okinawans. They found belonging to Japan is no longer advantageous to their land. They have different kind of culture and geographically separated from mainland Japan. They always wanted to claim independence. Now their patience has reached beyond limit.</p><p>That is like LIBERTARIAN way of thinking.</p><p>Interestingly, ROSA PARKS and LIBERTARIAN are sprits of their oppressors' nation. Maybe because of that, some US veterans sympathised with Okinawans. Last week some members of Veterans for Peace joined the protest. Last month Veterans for Peace in Berkeley made a resolution that new US marine base construction should be halted.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img id="media-932094" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/4269109271.jpg" alt="CrKc0meUsAEqaOv.jpg" width="316" height="178" /></p><p>They showed up in the tent. I talked with them. They were surprised to know that during Vietnam war era, Agent Orange was used in the village and villagers were used as simulated VetCont targets in the training. One young member who was stationed in Iraq said he had been deceived by the government. They really learnt significance of this protest movement like their own.</p><p>ROSA PARKS and LIBERTARIAN may be globally common concepts for living life.</p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlUS Marine helipad construction drives precious forest and human destruction, We'll ”Try Everything” to stop that!tag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2016-07-28:30773952016-07-28T17:43:00+02:002016-07-28T17:43:00+02:00 It is happening in Takae district, Higashi Village, Okinawa Island...
<p>It is happening in Takae district, Higashi Village, Okinawa Island Prefecture, southernmost tropical region in JAPAN. The population of the prefecture is about 1.4 million. 3 hour flight from Tokyo. Kind of remote from main 4 islands of Japan. It is like Hawaii in U.S.</p><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/1298807873.JPG" target="_blank"><img id="media-928891" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/2594425279.JPG" alt="okinawa,military,human rights" /></a></p><p>In exchange for return of some portion of US Marine training area indicated in dark red, they demanded building 6 new helipads in the forest near Takae district (circled area), residence of 150 people. The locals have been fighting against the construction project for years. They set tents at gates of construction sites as barricades. </p><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/1816689423.JPG" target="_blank"><img id="media-928892" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/2603182473.JPG" alt="okinawa,military,human rights" /></a> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/4126078826.JPG" target="_blank"><img id="media-928893" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/640625419.JPG" alt="okinawa,military,human rights" /></a></p><p>If the new helipad construction is completed, their residential area would be surrounded by helipads of ospreys that cause bigger noise and more frequent accident occurance than helicoptors because of defects of the structure.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/01/428871829.JPG" target="_blank"><img id="media-928894" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/01/1978253638.JPG" alt="okinawa,military,human rights" /></a></p><p>Helipads for ospreys are bigger than helicopters and destroy bigger areas of the forest. The forest is where endangered birds such as Yanbarukuina and Noguchigera inhabit. Not just forest destruction but big noise and heat waves can potentially threaten their lives. The heat waves ospreys release burn grasses on the ground.</p><p><iframe width="560" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ju_dS44xdcs"></iframe></p><p> </p><p>2 of 6 helipads N4 were completed already and have been used even though the agreement states new ones would be used after all of them are completed. Then what happened is noise level of Takae district rapidly increased, tens of times more than before. 11 year-old boy got sick and had to evacuate from his local community.</p><p>Okinawa had been occupied by US military force between 1945, end of Pacific War and 1972. During Vietnam war, Takae residents were used as VetCon target in the simulation training by the military. Agent Orange may have been sprayed there.</p><p>Even after return to Japan, US military bases have remained based on US-Japan defense treaty, agreements between two soreveign nations. In 1996, US and Japanese governments agreed to return some areas of the bases to former land owners and Okinawan communities. But return plans come with relocation plans. Even the military occupied areas is shrunk, the base function gets bigger by providing new bases. Other case is Henoko-Oura bay sea located seaside of Camp Schwab landfill project for the relocation of Futenma base. A beautiful coral sea, where endangered specie, marine mammal dugongs inhabit. This issue have been discussed many time on this blog. Please check articles in <a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/tag/okinawa" target="_blank">Okinawa tag</a>. <a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/archive/2014/02/16/dear-madame-ambassador-kennedy-2994738.html" target="_blank">This article</a> is a good description of the issue.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/2684840761.JPG" target="_blank"><img id="media-928895" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/1726310795.JPG" alt="okinawa,military,human rights" /></a></p><p>These plans have been met with local protest. Majority of locals dissapprove the plans. Governor of Okinawa Prefecture, Onaga and mayors of Nago city, where Camp Schwab is located, majority of Okinawa prefectural assembly members and all elected members of Japan's parliament from Okinawa constituencies express objection to the landfilling and new base construction plan. As for Takae, last week the construction work resumed, Okinawa assembly made a resolution that the construction should be halted.</p><p>Okinawans are fighting against US military and Japanese government that follows its demands.</p><p>Last week Japanese government dispatched hundreds of police officers from mainland to suppress local protestants that kept on sit-in at the gate of N1 construction site. Their sit-in protest was once dissolved and their tents and cars as barricades were taken away forcibly but the protest still continued. </p><p><iframe width="560" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1WvI3Z48Ffk"></iframe></p><p> </p><p>Civil activists from all over Japan, and around the globe are backing this. Even in Tokyo, protest activities are going on. Mainstream media reported these events and more people learnt what is going on. Sorry, Americans, more Japanese hate your country.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/01/3183799917.jpg" target="_blank"><img id="media-928898" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/01/930710490.jpg" alt="okinawa,military,human rights" /></a> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/00/2947641240.JPG" target="_blank"><img id="media-928899" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/00/1064441255.JPG" alt="okinawa,military,human rights" /></a></p><p>I want to give this song to protestors including myself. "Try Everything" to stop that! The forest is in fact zootopia. There may be monsters like PokeMon! They will "Try Everything" to stop destruction of their world.</p><p><iframe width="560" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c6rP-YP4c5I"></iframe></p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlFilm ”Pride” The oppressed unitedtag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2015-06-01:30487182015-06-01T11:04:00+02:002015-06-01T11:04:00+02:00 I just happened to know this film while participating in Tokyo Pride...
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2FSDenygnyI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p><p>I just happened to know this film while participating in Tokyo Pride Parade event.</p><p>It was British movie. The Japanese title was "Parade e Yokoso (Welcome to the Parade)"</p><p>The story is based on facts. In 1980's coal miners did strike against Thatcher adminisitration's policy to close down unprofitable mines.</p><p>Gay activists in London launched fund-raising campaign named "Lesbians and Gays support miners."</p><p>At first they were not accepted by miners' community but later on both sides understood significance of corporation getting over the difference. Like one of important characters said "You support us so we support you."</p><p>In the end, miners joined gay parade to show solidarity with the activists.</p><p>The both oppressed communities got united to help each other.</p><p>I recently came up with the idea of new novel using the concept of unification among oppressed communities. Gays are not the only oppressed but women, disables, and recently those who are fearing new foreign military base construction in their local prefecture, Okinawa, Southernmost prefecture of Japan. For details, please read the articles tagged Okinawa in this blog.</p><p>The mining town in the film was in Wales. It was several hour drive from London but very different culture and people exist, even language is different. One different tribe in one nation. That thing is very much like Okinawa. </p><p>I kind of do the similar action to the film, helping that prefecture people. On 24 May 2015 I joined protest activity such as human-chaining demonstration around Japan's Diet building in order to show solidarity with them. </p><p><img id="media-868497" style="margin: 0.2em auto 0.7em; display: block;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/2072164744.JPG" alt="okinawa, gay, military, history" /><img id="media-868498" style="margin: 0.2em auto 0.7em; display: block;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/01/1109816647.JPG" alt="okinawa, gay, military, history" /></p><p> </p><p>Last year I saw the rainbow on the construction area. It appeared from the sea. The construction project is reclaiming the beautiful coral sea. It was on the same day after I attended Okinawa's gay pride event.</p><p><img id="media-868503" style="float: left; margin: 0.2em 1.4em 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/2943694608.JPG" alt="okinawa, gay, military, history" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Well, it seems another oppressed ones got united helping each other for the better future.</p><p>Just my fantasy?</p><p> </p><p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vsFY0wHpR5o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlFilm”The Butler” Is that a story of Barak Obama?tag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2015-02-15:30374012015-02-15T03:36:00+01:002015-02-15T03:36:00+01:00 A story of a man whose father was shot in front of him on the cotton field...
<p>A story of a man whose father was shot in front of him on the cotton field by a white farmer and later became a house servant of the farmer and then hotel servant and finally was hired by the White House.</p><p>It is a fiction but it is based on a real butler who served the White House from 1950's Eisenhower until Reagan's administrations.</p><p>It was like Black history of America.</p><p>How Black people struggled with the oppression and finally be honoured by the society.</p><p>Maybe Obama should have experienced similar things.</p><p>In order to change the society, people need to be not only brave but also clever. You cannot just fightback. You might have to get along with majority of the society regardless of their unfair treament of you.</p><p>It is a fiction but surprising thing was even in the White House, Afro-Americans were discriminated in salary and positions. It was fixed after Reagan's administration 1980's.</p><p>I like that part of America's history, not interested in founding fathers.</p><p>It is common with current event happening in Okinawa, Japan.</p><p> </p><p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xZBs6NYSJOw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p><p>Because of that, America is no longer my favourite nation.</p><p>I can only feel mutuality with the oppressed Afro-Americans who lived in the past. </p><p> </p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlPuff the magic dragon, lived by the sea, in the land called ”HENOKO”tag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2014-07-31:30123992014-07-31T13:06:00+02:002014-07-31T13:06:00+02:00 I saw the dragon there, in Henoko, Okinawa prefecture, southernmost chain of...
<p>I saw the dragon there, in Henoko, Okinawa prefecture, southernmost chain of the islands in Japan.</p><p>You might not believe that. This is the proof.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/01/2434066684.JPG" target="_blank"><img id="media-812810" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/01/3854905265.JPG" alt="dragon, " /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">Yes, it looked like rainbow. But the sea is known to be sacred place for the dragon. The locals worship it and established a shrine on the sea coast.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/3697061790.jpg" target="_blank"><img id="media-812811" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/2364104052.jpg" alt="military, okinawa," /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">Recently the dragon seems not very comfortable living there because of construction project going on his or her place. On the sea coast is US Marine training camp base, Camp Schwab. There is a plan to expand the base by reclaiming the sea where he/she lives.</p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;">The locals oppose the plan because their environment would be deteriorated as well. However, US military and the Japanese government never mind local resisitance movement.</p><p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sdhQme9-nWc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8.5pt;" lang="EN-US">Will he/she leave as the things are? I doubt it. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8.5pt;" lang="EN-US">The sea reminds me of what I experienced 3 years ago in Kaminoseki, Yamaguchi prefecture in the mainland of Japan. Actually I learnt about that town when I joined environment activists meeting in Henoko. I met Kaminoseki activists who protest the construction project that reclaims the sea to build nuclear power plants there. They did the same things as locals in Henoko do, kayaking the sea to prevent construction work from proceeding. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img id="media-812813" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/00/1505383170.jpg" alt="military,okinawa" /></p><p><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8.5pt;" lang="EN-US">So I visited Kaminoseki later. There I saw the same scene. </span></p><p><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8.5pt;" lang="EN-US">Activists on the beach calling for the halt of the project but the authorities and power company never minded their voices. The project was about to be proceeded and the beach might be destroyed sooner. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img id="media-812814" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/2165053310.jpg" alt="military,okinawa" /></p><p><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8.5pt;" lang="EN-US">I felt something when I was on the beach. I sympathized, and then prayed to call for the help. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8.5pt;" lang="EN-US">Two weeks later a big earthquake and tsunami occurred in Fukushima. 4 nuke plants were destroyed by the nature and massive radioactives were released to the environment. </span></p><p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UlwZ7Yfiefw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p><p> </p><p style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Century; font-size: medium;">Now the construction is halted in Kaminoseki (not yet terminated.) No nuke plants are operated in Japan at present.</span></span><span style="font-family: MS Pゴシック; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p style="margin: 0mm 0mm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Century; font-size: medium;">In that town, there enshrined the sea dragon. </span></span></p><p style="margin: 0mm 0mm 0pt;"> </p><p style="margin: 0mm 0mm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Century; font-size: medium;">Was it just an coincident? I just don’t think so. That is why I’ve been feeling fear. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Qu_rItLPTXc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlDinner at LA TOUR D'ARGENT reminds me of what's happening in this worldtag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2014-01-03:29901872014-01-03T10:55:00+01:002014-01-03T10:55:00+01:00 Year of 2014 started. On one of new year's days I was...
<p>Year of 2014 started. </p><p>On one of new year's days I was invited to the dinner at Tokyo's most expensive French cuisine restaurant, LA TOUR D'ARGENT. It is located in The Hotel New Otani Tokyo, one of Japan's high class hotel chain.</p><p>The below photo is me in kimono at the waiting room of the restaurant. Only waiting room is as big as one ordinary restaurant. I was allowed to take a photo of me within waiting room area.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img id="media-776840" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/1992347237.jpg" alt="military, poverty, class gap, economy, kimono, " /></p><p style="text-align: left;">As you see the interior is georgeous. The dining room was georgeous as well. Mirror ceiling and chandeliers, candles. Tens of garsons in black uniform walking around to serve the same number of tables. That reminds me of the film "The Great Gatsby."</p><p style="text-align: left;">I had champagne, wine, and full course of very delicous meals. The speciality of the course was roast canard. Each guest was given a card of canard (duckling) he/she eats with its number. </p><p style="text-align: left;">A sommelier selected a wine that fits the course menu. He said one of most expensive wine the restaurant has is Romane Conti, which one bottle costs 2500000 yen, 25 thousands US $ or Euro. Of course it was not what our group could afford. So I chose half bottle of wine which costed around 19000 yen.</p><p style="text-align: right;"><img id="media-776841" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/318224506.JPG" alt="military, poverty, class gap, economy, kimono, " /></p><p style="text-align: left;">I really enjoyed that. But at the same time I had to feel guilty about it. The dinner cost a lot. That one dinner can equal a few people's monthly food expense. In the world half of the population are starving. This luxurious dinner should cost equivalentl to annual income of some portion of the people in this world.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Moreover, the bottle of Romane Conti costs construction of a school that hundreds of children can attend in third world nations. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Not just in third world but even in first world like Japan or America, such dinner is far exceeds the living standard of ordinary people. Last year I went to Okinawa. I visited the US Marine facilities. At the entrance of US Marine training camp, I saw the below sign that says "Hard training makes hard marine."</p><p style="text-align: right;"><img id="media-776843" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/00/2858553414.jpg" alt="military, poverty, class gap, economy, kimono, " /></p><p style="text-align: right;"><img id="media-776844" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/01/4013705268.jpg" alt="military, poverty, class gap, economy, kimono, " /></p><p style="text-align: left;">I saw the bus of trainees entering the gate. I heard those young people come from very poor family that could not afford college education for their children so they had no choice but to join the marine, what is called, Poverty Draft.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Meanwhile, very rich people like who can afford very expensive dinner like LA TOUR D'ARGENT exploits such young people to grow their wealth provoking wars all over the world. Kind of plutonomy. That is the social structure of today's world. I wrote <a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/archive/2012/12/11/sociological-novel-how-to-maintain-plutonomy-chapter-1.html" target="_blank">a novel</a> on this theme.</p><p style="text-align: left;">The bus transporting capitalism slaves to the military base reminds of one very historical place in Poland which I visited 6 years ago. The similar sign was posted at the gate of the facility.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img id="media-776847" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/1566277210.jpg" alt="military, poverty, class gap, economy, kimono, " /></p><p style="text-align: center;">ARBEIT MACHT FREI. (Labour makes you free.)</p><p style="text-align: right;"> </p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlDear US Ambassador to Japan, Caroline Bouvier Kennedytag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2013-11-27:29859092013-11-27T03:03:00+01:002013-11-27T03:03:00+01:00 The following is what I wrote to newly appointed US ambassador to Japan....
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;">The following is what I wrote to newly appointed US ambassador to Japan. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><img id="media-770267" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/00/2058301690.jpg" alt="Okinawa, military, " /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;">---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;">My name is Masagata, Japanese man living in Tokyo. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;">I used to study at San Francisco State University. My major was International Relations. I am now working as<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a translator using English knowledge I gained there. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;">I am writing this letter to tell you a very important matter for the both nations. I am very sure that you know many issues between the two nations. I would like to mention the most important one that might severely deteriorate current healthy relationship between the two for a very long period of time. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;">That is relocation of US Marine Base, Futenma in Ginowan city, Okinawa prefecture, the Southernmost tropical islands like Hawaii. In 1996 both US and Japanese governments agreed to relocate Futenma base to Camp Schwab to get away from populated area. Camp Schwab is on coastal line of the island. The area is called Henoko. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><img id="media-770268" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/00/772533361.jpg" alt="Okinawa, military, dugong" /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: auto 0mm;" align="center"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;" lang="EN-US">There has been local resistance movement since the relocation plan was announced. Localies near the Camp Schwab are concerned about deteriorating of their living environment. A lot of environmental activists oppose the plan as well because of abundance of wild life, which are very unique, only found in that place. One symbolic creature is dugongs, endangered marine mammals that eat sea grasses in that area. It is just strange that the nation that protests Japan’s whaling is helping another marine mammals endangered. Some activists are planning to take legal action against US government regarding this issue. Please read the enclosed newspaper article titled, </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://english.ryukyushimpo.jp/2013/11/12/12205/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: 'Osaka','serif'; letter-spacing: 0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="color: #1559a5;">Dugong plaintiffs consider new action in U.S. to block Henoko landfill</span></span></a></span><span style="font-family: 'Osaka','serif'; letter-spacing: 0.75pt; color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;" lang="EN-US">. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;">If the project is implemented as planned, the sea will be reclaimed and dugongs and other creatures’ lives would be threatened. What will happen is your nation will be accused of helping diminishing of such wonderful and rare creatures for the interests of the few. The few, you might know, some business and government people who want some gains. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;">You might say it is what Japanese government handles, not what the US military is actively involved. No one in Japan thinks so. The US government can cancel that project and find another relocation site outside Okinawa. In fact US military presence in Okinawa and even nationwide is becoming nothing but troublesome. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;">More of us know US military presence no longer functions as defense or deterrence like in the Cold War era. China is said to be new threat but we know US-China relation has become more vital for your nation since China owns more US treasury bonds and buys more US goods than Japan does. President Obama spends more time having dialogues with Chinese leaders than with Japanese prime minister. We can easily predict the US would not help Japan even if China and Japan get into dispute for some reason. US cannot send troops to assist Japan because such action might cause great loss for your national interest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;">Deploying your military so much in this country is just causing distrust against your country. I believe Okinawa issue arising is a great timing for your nation to rethink military deployment in Japan to better relationship between the two nations. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;">Sincerely,</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;">------------------------------------------------------</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0mm;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;">I am planning to write more detailed version of the above later on adding some progress regarding Okinawa issues. </span></span></p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlDestroying ”Finding Nemo”s Worldtag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2013-09-23:29788082013-09-23T05:48:00+02:002013-09-23T05:48:00+02:00 Last weekend I visited Okinawa, Southernmost prefecture island. Over there I...
<p>Last weekend I visited Okinawa, Southernmost prefecture island. Over there I saw such cute view like Disney's animated film "Finding Nemo."</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img id="media-758816" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/1476516855.jpg" alt="okinawa, military, " /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Clown fish over sea anemone with a blue fish. Looks like Marlin and his son, Nemo and their friend, Dolly. I was amazed but felt so sad at the same time. Because their lives are now in threat by planned construction of US Marine Base runway expanding from Camp Schwab.</p><p style="text-align: left;">The fish were in Ohura bay, which has been designated as most vulnerable place for environmental destruction because of rich bi-diversity such as clown fish, blue coral reef (the world biggest and Northernmost of its kind), dugongs and so on. If the runway is constructed by reclaiming the sea, the sea current will change and environmentally harmful substances would be released from the base. That must give adverse effect on wildife there. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><img id="media-758817" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/00/116014983.jpg" alt="okinawa, military, " /></p><p style="text-align: left;"> I scuba-dove into the sea from the opposite side of the bay to the U.S. Marine Base. Far away behind me in the above picture is where US Marine Camp is and where runway is planned to be constructed.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Growning opposition has emerged recently from localies. But the US and Japanese government are pushing hard to implement the project.</p><p style="text-align: left;">That coincides with hypocrisy in the film. That was, of course animated fiction. Fish don't talk and read. The film portrays them as good living creatures like human beings. In reality we eat fish and hunt them and put them in small aquarium unit just for viewing. In fact after the release of the film, clownfish were hunt overwhelmingly.</p><p style="text-align: left;">U.S. pretends like tropical fish loving and environmetally friendly nation but the reality is opposite and their act is very hyporitical. Not just Disney's fantazy but US policy against Japan's whaling. US is accusing Japan of whaling but at the same time it is harming most endangered marine mammals, dugongs in the bay with Defense Ministry of Japan. Some environmetal activists like Sea Shepherds even oppose dolphin hunting in Taich town of Wakayama Prefecture.</p><p style="text-align: left;">"Finding Nemo" is after all, Finding Nonesense and Hypocrisy.</p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlMy comment on NBC News article on Okinawa issuetag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2013-04-15:29600732013-04-15T15:24:36+02:002013-04-15T15:24:36+02:00 I posted the below comment on the NBC news article, In...
<p>I posted the below comment on the NBC news article, </p><p><a href="http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/13/17598118-in-okinawa-the-war-isnt-over-protests-aimed-at-new-us-base?lite" target="_blank">In Okinawa, the war isn't over: Protests aimed at new US base</a></p><div class="commentSource"><p>As a Japanese citizen living in Tokyo, in response to the above comments, I would like to make the below comments.</p><p>1. Japan including Okinawa surrendered to the Allied force unconditionally, therefore Japan and Okinawa should endure current situation?</p><p>Japan regained independence 61 years ago, both nations signed the treaty to recognize each other's sovereignty. That means the U.S. should treat Japan as independent nation. Who lost or won was officially resolved by that treaty. Of course emotional issues are other things.</p><p>Yes, we did the wrong things. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and started the stupid war. Even before Pearl Harbor Japan invaded China and mass-murdered innocent civilians there. That is the history just like US overthrew Hawaiian kingdom in 19th century, almost half a century before Pearl Harbor attack. What did native Hawaiians think when Asians attacked white dominated empire's military bases? Interestingly enough, Okinawa used to be independent kingdom which was overthrown by Japan in the same period.</p><p>2. Without US military presence, Japan and Okinawa can never defend themselves from China or North Korea?</p><p>Japan might not be ready for its own defense. But the problem is the US military no longer functions as defense force. Yes, US-Japan defense treaty is still effective but what would US actually do when some disputes occure is different matters. Can US fight against China over Japan's sovereignty? The US is heavily dependent on China economically. China owns more US treasury bonds than Japan does. China produces many US goods such as iphone and toysrs toys as much as China consumes many US goods such as Boeing and Motorolla.</p><p>As for North Korea, their only effective weapons are nuclear missiles. Once they launch missiles, it would reach to Japan within minutes. No way to stop it. Only few of them may be blocked by pac or easis. NK is like suicidal nation. No nuclear deterrence works since they are never afraid of retaliation.</p><p>Besides above two issues, the construction of new marine runway in Henoko, near Camp Schwab involves huge environmental issue. The expected construction site is where endangered marine mammals, dugons inhabit. As I remember, US is accusing Japan of whaling in Antarctica.</p><p>Plus, more of Japanese learn US is exploiting Japan's tax money and causing troubles although US is no longer reliable force for the defense. We are learning US is spending too much money on military expense while impoverishing its own people. Gap betwen the rich and the poor among Americans is widening. A lot of us say US is no longer role model for us, rather they have become model for "Dont be like them."</p><p>I graduated from the university in San Francisco 15 years ago. I have good memories there and still have good image of your people. So I would advise your goverment and military to reconsider what to do about this issue for the benefit of both nations.</p><p>If you would like to know more about what is happening in Okinawa, I recommend my blog articles relating to this issue. I visited Okinawa several times since this problem erupted.</p></div><div class="vine-p p-comment_MiniToolbox"><div class="printerData hide" data-printer="{"commentId":75534688,"threadId":"3703694","contentId":"17598118","authorDomain":"masagata"}"> </div><ul class="list"><li class="box votes canVote"><div class="icon"><img src="http://www.cdn.newsvine.com/_vine/images/_/icon_uparrow.gif" alt="Vote for this comment." width="16" height="12" /></div></li><li class="box abuseMenu"><div class="label">!</div></li></ul></div><p><img class="replybutton" src="http://www.cdn.newsvine.com/_vine/images/_/b_reply_mini.gif" alt="Reply" width="35" height="12" /><span class="commentdate"><a title="Link to this comment" href="http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/13/17598118-in-okinawa-the-war-isnt-over-protests-aimed-at-new-us-base?threadId=3703694&commentId=75535144#c75534688">#99</a> - Mon Apr 15, 2013 8:46 AM EDT</span></p><p> </p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlAmericans as oppressors to Japanesetag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2012-12-31:29435202012-12-31T10:03:00+01:002012-12-31T10:03:00+01:00
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/LcWbzzOxf-c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/N0xLXiFwKO0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p><p> </p><p> </p><p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Fjc-wVQFjZo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p><p> </p><p> </p><p><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/egkb4u2FyIw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p><p><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7GPnufuAArc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlJapan's protest against Osprey (MV-22) deploymenttag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2012-10-08:29293932012-10-08T13:53:00+02:002012-10-08T13:53:00+02:00 Joined demonstration march in Shibuya, most crowded shopping and...
<p>Joined demonstration march in Shibuya, most crowded shopping and entertaining district in Tokyo.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/00/4035410515.jpg" target="_blank"><img id="media-694504" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/00/1412968799.jpg" alt="Image829.jpg" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/4204652692.jpg" target="_blank"><img id="media-694505" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/2445859934.jpg" alt="Image825.jpg" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">Estimated around 400 people participated. 12 ospreys were deployed in Okinawa, Southernmost island of Japan. Osprey is a hyprid helicoptor that cause strong noize and probability of accident is higher than conventional helicoptors. Propellers work as helicoptor on pad but when it goes high, the mode is changed to airplane that enables it fly further. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/00/275712185.jpg" target="_blank"><img id="media-694506" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/00/2457108619.jpg" alt="Image830.jpg" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">But this mode change action can cause severe accident including crashes onto the ground without control.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/00/2696313659.jpg" target="_blank"><img id="media-694507" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/00/1744053835.jpg" alt="Image834.jpg" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/2307747512.jpg" target="_blank"><img id="media-694509" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" title="" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/3587504731.jpg" alt="Image833.jpg" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">It is said that US military deployed Ospreys in Okinawa because they were not allowed to maneuver flying in their homeland because of safety problems, that aggrevated Okinawans and Japanese nationals. US-Japan treaty is one between independent sovereign nations.</p><p style="text-align: left;">As other issues such as <a href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/archive/2009/03/06/interview-with-cvn-73-nuclear-reactor-crew.html" target="_blank">Nuclear aircraft carrier (CVN 73) </a>in Yokosuka, safety may not be prioritized issue. Highest prioritized issue is why we have to carry burden of US military which does not actually defend us. Threat from China? China is no longer enemy for the U.S. China has become even more important economic ally than Japan for the U.S. Even US influential congressman said military stationed in Okinawa is nothing but ruin of the Cold War.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Recently even after deployment of the new helicoptors, Chinese ships has invaded Japanese sea near Okinawa very frequently. If deterrence works, why do Chinese do that?</p><p style="text-align: left;">We really wonder why US military is stationed in our country.</p><p style="text-align: left;">We should stop treating America as friendly nation although it is not our enemy.</p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlDear Tomodachi, Thanks but No Thanks!tag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2011-04-30:23226412011-04-30T06:21:00+02:002011-04-30T06:21:00+02:00 Tomodachi means "friend(s)" in Japanese. The U.S. military in Japan is...
<p>Tomodachi means "friend(s)" in Japanese. The U.S. military in Japan is undergoing "Operation Tomodach" after the earthquake of magnitude 9.0, tsunami and nuclear power plant explosion occurred in our country.</p><p>Yes, the U.S. has been our greatest and closest friend, especially in a turmoil caused by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant disaster.</p><p>The U.S. government and military helped us a lot by sending air craft carrier, Ronald Reagan to the disastor area coast to transport commodities and equipments in order to rescue refugees in the disaster areas. The U.S. goverment provided expertise and machines to crippled nuclear power plants.</p><p>We do appreciate that. But the U.S. is not only country that provides assistance to us. China, Russia, France, Israel and a lot of other nations do so. We do appreciate those nations as well.</p><p>I do know for the U.S. Japan is not just a friend, rather very important ally in terms of politics and economics. Japan is 2nd largest owner of U.S. treasury bonds next to China. Japan is one of the biggest trading partner for the U.S.</p><p>As for crippled nuclear plants, the U.S. should be very much concerned about this issue because the U.S. is heavily dependent on nuclear power generation having more than 100 plants in the nation. In fact crippled nuclear plants in Fukushima-Daiichi contains U.S. made reactors, designed by General Electronics. The same type of reactors are used in 23 plants in the U.S.</p><p>Like the U.S. France is very concerned as CEO of France's biggest nuclear power plant corporation came to Japan to fix the problem. France is much more heavily dependent on nuclear power generation, 80% of its electriciy comes from nuclear power, while 20% in the U.S. and 35% in Japan.</p><p>Just recently the U.S. and Japanese government agreed to relocate U.S. Marine in Okinawa. The plan is relocate around 8000 marines to Guam and newly building base inside Okinawa island. That plan has been disapproved by local Okinawans. Even the Okinawa governor demanded the change of plan.</p><p>But the both governments seem to go ahead despite the protest movement there because the "Operation Tomodachi" can ease the tension there. But it seems not.</p><p>We feel the U.S. is taking advantage of this turmoil to get what they want. In our country such act is called "stealing things from burning house." Later you will be demised.</p><p>Don't do that, please if you want to continue to be good friend to us.</p><p>Under this plan, Japanese government not only provides the area for the new base but the budget to build the new base. This is huge money.</p><p>You know we are now in a big crisis. We need so much money to rebuild the disaster areas and fix and safely abandon nuclear plants. How come you can receive such benefits from troubled nation?</p><p>In Yokosuka, USS George Washington evacuated from Yokosuka, home port for the ship right after the earthquake and nuclear power plant explosion happened. Now he returned.</p><p>Funny, that ship was deployed for the purpose of defending Japan. This time he did not. Ironically, the nuclear powered ship which contains so much of radioactive materials got away from radioactive.</p><p>After he returned, they say the ship is safe. But localies in Yokosuka cannot agree. People have been so concerned about radioactive since its home porting in 2008. Now we've got one from our own.</p><p>My advice as your Tomodachi is to rethink the whole package of US-Japan defense treaty and its operation.</p><p>We do appreciate great friendship so in order to stregthen such friendship why not just rethink about this issue? </p><p>Especially after the earthquake disastor, our nation's financial and mental situation has greatly changed. We do not want to suffer any more.</p><p>So be nice TOMODACHI! </p><p><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ROn7OeoTJNg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlTouched by Okinawans' Libertarianismtag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2011-02-11:21820502011-02-11T11:16:14+01:002011-02-11T11:16:14+01:00 I went to Okinawa last month to help the localies protest against...
<p>I went to Okinawa last month to help the localies protest against construction of new U.S. military bases on their island. I visited two sites. One is Henoko, where US marine's runways is planned to be constructed by reclaiming the coral reef ocean where endangered mammals, dugongs inhabit.</p><p><iframe height="390" width="640" frameborder="0" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gM3xlrurNIQ" title="YouTube video player"></iframe></p><p> </p><p>The other one is Takae, where the U.S. marine's helicopter pads are under construction in the mountain. The helicopters or ospreys will be deployed. They are very much concerned about big noises and accident caused by those.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img id="media-560429" style="margin: 0.7em 0;" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/00/430461029.JPG" alt="military, Okinawa," /></p><p>In both sites, localies set up tents to monitor what construction workers do and do protest activities in order to stop or delay the construction. They say they do not care what the government decides because they can decide what to do within their communities. I saw a local man stopping cars passing by including those belonging to the US marine. They had guts to protect their community. Some of them are even accused of blocking the road by the authority. But they still keep on doing what they do.</p><p><img id="media-560430" style="float: left; margin: 0.2em 1.4em 0.7em 0;" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/3062742221.JPG" alt="military, Okinawa," /> </p><p>Ironically, this reminds me of what I learnt during my college days in the U.S. I think this is American way of doing democracy. If a citizen thinks his or her own government is doing wrong, right the wrong even by breaking the law. Like Rosa Parks' refusing to give front seat in the bus to white passenger which led to boycott on the commute buses by Afro-Americans and end up growing civil rights act movement.</p><p>The Japanese government and the U.S. marine is doing the wrong thing because they do the projects without approval from the localies.</p><p>It is also called "Libertarianism" which respects individuals' freedom not being intervened by the authority. That is why they protest gun control and public medical insurance offering. They want to minimize the government's restriction on individuals' lives. Their first priority is individualism and their most important community is their local town, not central governemnt. That is how the United States of America is constructed.</p><p>That means Okinawans' localies have the right to protest and overthrow the plans which the two big governments decide. Furthermore, Libertarians think such government should be overthrown by militias.</p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlWhy they protest US military basetag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2010-08-17:19683762010-08-17T11:20:00+02:002010-08-17T11:20:00+02:00 Anti-US military base activist, Mr. Ashitomi spoke to young students from...
<p>Anti-US military base activist, Mr. Ashitomi spoke to young students from Palestinean, and Israel with interpreter.</p><p>He talked about why he set up the tent to monitor nearby US marine base, Camp Schwab.</p><p>Japanese government recently agreed with the US marine on expansion of the current marine base for the relocation of the Futenma base in Okinawa. </p><p>Part 1 is environmetal issue related to the construction of new base. Part 2 is peace issue.</p><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fjc-wVQFjZo" target="_blank">Anti-US base activist talks 反米軍基地活動家の話し Part 1</a></p><p><object width="425" height="344" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/Fjc-wVQFjZo&hl=ja&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="data" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Fjc-wVQFjZo&hl=ja&fs=1" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Fjc-wVQFjZo&hl=ja&fs=1" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /></object></p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KxcMwRZ8as" target="_blank">Anti-US base activist talks 反米軍基地活動家の話し Part 2</a></p><p><object width="425" height="344" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/2KxcMwRZ8as&hl=ja&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="data" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2KxcMwRZ8as&hl=ja&fs=1" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2KxcMwRZ8as&hl=ja&fs=1" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /></object></p><p> </p><p>You can learn more detail in this blog's tag, Okinawa, which you can access by clicking the below.</p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlVery Constitutionaltag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2010-08-10:19657272010-08-10T05:23:00+02:002010-08-10T05:23:00+02:00 Found and captured great scene in Henoko beach, where US marines are...
<p>Found and captured great scene in Henoko beach, where US marines are destroying the natural environment to harm local people.</p> <p>This represents current situation of US-Japan relationship. </p> <div style="text-align: center"><a target="_blank" href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/02/998110789.JPG"></a></div> <div style="text-align: center"> <div style="text-align: center"><a target="_blank" href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/00/998110789.JPG"><img name="media-508174" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/00/545453627.JPG" alt="PIC_2330.JPG" style="border-width: 0; margin: 0.7em 0;" id="media-508174" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center"> <div style="text-align: center"><a target="_blank" href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/610958161.JPG"><img name="media-508175" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/02/422688785.JPG" alt="PIC_2329.JPG" style="border-width: 0; margin: 0.7em 0;" id="media-508175" /></a></div> </div> </div> <div style="text-align: center"> <div style="text-align: center"><a target="_blank" href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/01/610958161.JPG"></a></div> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"> </div> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">The text in Japanese flag is "We hope that the Japan-US alliance will continue to be consolidated and developed."</div> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">It was written by very generous Japanese citizen.</div> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"> </div> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">I would like to add the below words after that.</div> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">"Only if you can respect our sovereignty and natural environment. Otherwise, go back to where you belong."</div> </div>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlSent a postcard to US Ambassador to Japantag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2010-06-14:19458882010-06-14T15:31:20+02:002010-06-14T15:31:20+02:00 This is front side. That's my message! I hope he reads this...
<div style="text-align: center"><img src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/00/2058772134.JPG" alt="PIC_2225.JPG" style="border-width: 0; margin: 0.7em 0;" id="media-493949" /></div> <div style="text-align: center">This is front side.</div> <div style="text-align: center"> <div style="text-align: center"><img src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/2111399403.JPG" alt="PIC_2228.JPG" style="border-width: 0; margin: 0.7em 0;" id="media-493950" /></div> <div style="text-align: center">That's my message!</div> <div style="text-align: center"></div> <div style="text-align: center">I hope he reads this and delivers it to Pentagon and Obama.</div> </div>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlWhy not just shrink rather than relocate?tag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2010-05-29:19390652010-05-29T03:27:26+02:002010-05-29T03:27:26+02:00 Japanese loopy PM accepted humiliating agreement from the U.S. He...
<p>Japanese loopy PM accepted humiliating agreement from the U.S. </p> <p>He turned down the proposal of relocating US marine base, Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture to off the island.</p> <p>However, if this is going to work out as stated in the agreement is uncertain. Okinawans are now very, very angry with the agreement.</p> <p>So are a lot of Japanese voters. Maybe after July election, he will resign from prime ministerhood. </p> <p>New government will then have to rethink the agreement.</p> <p>But the good thing is because of this turmoil, more and more people have become aware that the U.S. military is not defending Japan at all.</p> <p>It is not the issue of relocation, it is reducing or getting rid of the bases from Japan.</p> <p>Even relocation site is changed to Guam or Hawaii, there is another problem.</p> <p>Can't believe that the U.S. military has been messing islands in the Pacific. (Well, Japanese military did so partially.)</p> <p>I just found very <a target="_blank" href="http://www.democracynow.org/2010/5/24/from_japan_to_guam_to_hawaii">interesting show</a> on the net. The voices from 3 islands in the Pacific.</p> <p><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.democracynow.org/embed_show_v1/300/2010/5/24/segment/2"> </script></p> <p> </p> <p>Stupid, why not the U.S. government spend vast amount of money on poverty, education or environmental protection instead of messing people and environment of the islands or Iraq, or Afghanistan?</p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlFilm”Avatar” is like what's happening in Okinawatag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2010-05-04:19282122010-05-04T09:47:00+02:002010-05-04T09:47:00+02:00 James Cameron's world's biggest box hit film after "Titanic". An ex-US...
<p>James Cameron's world's biggest box hit film after "Titanic". An ex-US Marine man arrived on a planet and joined the native people by getting his brain signals into artificial figure of that native man. His mission was to blend in their community and negotiate with them in order to dig natural resources from their land.</p> <p>Well, I did not really enjoy it because the story was cliche and animation scenes were not impressive maybe because I did not see 3D version. I watched it on DVD. After an hour, I just skipped chapters. I would rather like to see a full animated version of the film than mixture of real and animation.</p> <p>The bottom line is that is the America's apology and remource to native Americans, Iraqi, Afghans, and global environmental destruction. But to me it is really hypocritical after years of deception and wrong doings. Isn't that what they talked about 30 years ago after Vietnam war?</p> <p> </p> <p>Anyway, if they think they have been doing wrong, why not they rethink current destruction of great nature in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan?</p> <p>It is taking place in the Henoko Sea right next to US marines' Camp Shwab. It was designated as the relocation site for Futenma base in Ginowan city on the same island. The coral sea is just beautiful. To me, it is better than Guam, Hawaii, Cancoon, and Kota Kinabalu.</p> <div style="text-align: center"><a target="_blank" href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/500686504.JPG"><img name="media-480983" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/2014396592.JPG" alt="PIC_2095.JPG" style="border-width: 0; margin: 0.7em 0;" id="media-480983" /></a></div> <p>Endangered marine mammal, dugongs habitat were recognized.</p> <p>But construction of runway has been planned on that sea for the US marines by Japanese tax payers' money.</p> <p>Is it for Japan's defense? No. US military deployed in Japan never functioned as Japan's defense. US marines use Japanese facilities for their training and missions. Well, this issue is very complicated. As you learn more about this issue, you can find Japan side has more to blame. In summary Japanese government can let most of US military leave Japan once they decide to do because there is no merit for Japan by the US military presence and the US military has no more strategic interest in Japan since the Cold War era ended.</p> <p>However, if the US declares to withdraw troops from Japan without any relocation within Japan, this problem can be easily solved.</p> <p>On May 4 2010, Japan's prime minister Hatoyama Yukio visited Okinawa governor and mayor of Nago city where Camp Shwab is located. Last month he said "destroying the sea by reclaiming is blaspheming the nature" but later he announced the plan to construct runway by QIP (placing sticks on the sea ground to support runway) format. He is crazy. It is just as destructive to the environment as reclaiming.</p> <p>The Henoko has shrine on the coast. That god made him say that, I believe.</p> <div style="text-align: center"><a target="_blank" href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/267835941.JPG"><img name="media-480984" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/130909705.JPG" alt="PIC_1089.JPG" style="border-width: 0; margin: 0.7em 0;" id="media-480984" /></a></div> <p>Or the charm I left in the wire on the beach. The wire divides the beach from restricted area. The charm is what I bought at the Admiral Togo Shrine in Tokyo.</p> <div style="text-align: center"><a target="_blank" href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/00/2051534372.JPG"><img name="media-480985" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/00/00/1278312310.JPG" alt="PIC_2128.JPG" style="border-width: 0; margin: 0.7em 0;" id="media-480985" /></a></div> <p>However this construction plan will never be done because Okinawans and even the U.S. military oppose this newly fixed plan. Last September Japan experienced the change of governing party, then the relocation plan got on the review. After months of turmoil left distrust to the Japanese government and the U.S..</p> <p>But I think this is great progress for Japanese to raise awareness that the U.S. military is nothing but trash and Japan has to defend its country all by themselves. Defending such beautiful sea like the below video from invaders.</p> <p><object data="http://www.youtube.com/v/K2ENlPXUt6o&hl=ja_JP&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="385"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> <param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/K2ENlPXUt6o&hl=ja_JP&fs=1&" /> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /></object></p> <p> </p> <p>But interesting history exists in Okinawa. Okinawa used to be an independent kingdom like Hawaii and Guam. But late 19th century Japanese government took over and annexed to the Empire of Japan. After the world war 2, the U.S. military grounded the island and had occupied until 1972. That is why tens of bases are located in Okinawa. The below photo is recreation of palace of what was called the Ryukyu Kingdom. This place is Okinawa's most famous tourist spot, called Shurijo. </p> <div style="text-align: center"><a target="_blank" href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/2028378968.JPG"><img name="media-480991" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/108275582.JPG" alt="DSCN0530.JPG" style="border-width: 0; margin: 0.7em 0;" id="media-480991" /></a></div>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlAn Alliance Larger Than One Issuetag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2010-01-09:18778492010-01-09T06:40:00+01:002010-01-09T06:40:00+01:00 Read this New York Times Article written by Joseph Nye, an prominent expert...
<p>Read this New York Times Article written by Joseph Nye, an prominent expert of US-Japan relationship.</p> <p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/opinion/07nye.html?ref=opinion">An Alliance Larger Than One Issue</a> </p> <p>SEEN from Tokyo, America’s relationship with Japan faces a crisis. The immediate problem is deadlock over a plan to move an American military base on the island of Okinawa. It sounds simple, but this is an issue with a long back story that could create a serious rift with one of our most crucial allies.</p> <p style="text-align: center;">--Ommited paragraphs from the original article.--</p> <p>Even if Mr. Hatoyama eventually gives in on the base plan, we need a more patient and strategic approach to Japan. We are allowing a second-order issue to threaten our long-term strategy for East Asia. Futenma, it is worth noting, is not the only matter that the new government has raised. It also speaks of wanting a more equal alliance and better relations with China, and of creating an East Asian community — though it is far from clear what any of this means.</p> <p>When I helped to develop the Pentagon’s East Asian Strategy Report in 1995, we started with the reality that there were three major powers in the region — the United States, Japan and China — <strong>and that maintaining our alliance with Japan would shape the environment into which China was emerging. We wanted to integrate China into the international system by, say, inviting it to join the World Trade Organization, but we needed to hedge against the danger that a future and stronger China might turn aggressive.</strong></p> <p>After a year and a half of extensive negotiations, the United States and Japan agreed that our alliance, rather than representing a cold war relic, was the basis for stability and prosperity in the region. President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto affirmed that in their <a href="http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/n-america/us/security/security.html" title="Description of declaration"><span style="color: #004276;">1996 Tokyo declaration</span></a>. This strategy of “integrate, but hedge” continued to guide American foreign policy through the years of the Bush administration.</p> <p>This year is the 50th anniversary of the <a href="http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/n-america/us/q&a/ref/1.html" title="Treaty text"><span style="color: #004276;">United States-Japan security treaty.</span></a> The two countries will miss a major opportunity if they let the base controversy lead to bitter feelings or the further reduction of American forces in Japan. The best guarantee of security in a region where China remains a long-term challenge and a nuclear North Korea poses a clear threat remains the presence of American troops, which Japan helps to maintain with generous host nation support.</p> <p>Sometimes Japanese officials quietly welcome “gaiatsu,” or foreign pressure, to help resolve their own bureaucratic deadlocks. But that is not the case here: if the United States undercuts the new Japanese government and creates resentment among the Japanese public, then a victory on Futenma could prove Pyrrhic.</p> <div id="authorId"> <p>Joseph S. Nye Jr., a professor of government at Harvard and the author of “The Powers to Lead,” was an assistant secretary of defense from 1994 to 1995.</p> </div> <p>The photo of planned relocation site for Futenma, the construction plan threatens lives of endangered marine mammals, dugongs and a lot of other wildlives.</p> <div style="text-align: center"><img name="media-440540" src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/768783794.JPG" alt="PIC_1010.JPG" style="border-width: 0; margin: 0.7em 0;" id="media-440540" /></div> <div style="text-align: center"></div> <div style="text-align: left;">Watch this video, too!</div> <div style="text-align: left;"></div> <div style="text-align: left;"></div> <p><object data="http://www.youtube.com/v/-9ldwUzsnCY&hl=ja_JP&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> <param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-9ldwUzsnCY&hl=ja_JP&fs=1&" /> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /></object></p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlU.S. environmentalists urge Obama to halt construction of Marine Base in Okinawa Japantag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2009-12-10:18649602009-12-10T13:51:17+01:002009-12-10T13:51:17+01:00 Not all of Americans are bad. There are Americans who oppose planned...
<p>Not all of Americans are bad. There are Americans who oppose planned construction of U.S. Marine base in Henoko bay, Okinawa, Japan.</p> <div style="text-align: center"><img src="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/media/02/01/1924117223.JPG" alt="henoko_construction_site.JPG" style="border-width: 0; margin: 0.7em 0;" id="media-430699" /></div> <p>They also oppose Japan's whaling and dolphin hunting. I oppose whaling but not dolphin hunting.</p> <p>Please read the following news from Mr. Mark J. Palmer, Earth Island.</p> <p>Kind of good news if it works.</p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Courier;">*************************<br /></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /> <span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span> Copyright 2009 Inside Washington Publishers<br /> All Rights Reserved<br /> Defense Environment Alert<br /> <br /> December 8, 2009<br /> <br /> SECTION: Vol. 17 No. 25<br /> <br /> LENGTH: 523 words<br /> <br /> HEADLINE: Environmental Coalition Pressures Obama to Revoke Okinawa Airstrip Plan<br /> <br /> BODY:<br /> <br /> A major coalition of environmental groups is pressuring the Obama administration to revoke a plan to build a U.S. military airstrip over an ecologically sensitive area in Okinawa that is home to several endangered species, sensing recent political developments may open the door to changes in a U.S.-Japanese agreement to build the facility.<br /> <br /> Led by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), a multitude of environmental groups representing over 10 million Americans, sent a letter to President Obama Dec. 3 calling on him to retract plans to expand a Marine Corps base in northeast Okinawa because it threatens to destroy habitat for coral reef ecosystems and critically endangered species like the Okinawa dugong, a sacred Japanese icon similar to a manatee. A 2006 bilateral agreement between the United States and Japan would relocate a contentious air station from an urban center in Okinawa to Camp Schwab, located in the northern part of the island.<br /> The new facility is known as the Futenma Replacement Facility (FRF).<br /> <br /> But high-level talks between the United States and Japan that begun last month signaled the two governments are revisiting the FRF plan, with the new Japanese government, installed in September, having run an election campaign that in part opposed the FRF's siting on Okinawa. Environmentalists saw the changes as a possible opportunity to get the military project moved or scuttled (Defense Environment Alert, Nov. 24).<br /> <br /> The new Japanese government, led by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, "is a very promising development on this issue" and environmentalists hope "that between the two governments, that they will realize that the current plan would cause unacceptable environmental impacts and change course," says one environmentalist central to the coalition's effort.<br /> <br /> "The base plan would devastate dugong habitat in Henoko bay and nearby Oura Bay, and would be extremely harmful to turtles, fish, coral, and other marine life," the coalition of environmental groups say in their letter to Obama.<br /> <br /> "The recently elected Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and the Democratic Party of Japan have expressed the desire to renegotiate the 2006 agreement and cancel plans to relocate the base. You have the ability and duty to alter the course of this devastating plan, but time is of the essence.<br /> <br /> "We urge you to direct the U.S. secretaries of defense and state to cancel this project immediately." The letter is available on InsideEPA.com.<br /> <br /> In addition to CBD, other groups signing the letter include Natural Resources Defense Council, Earthjustice, Greenpeace and the Endangered Species Coalition, which represents more than 400 organizations.<br /> <br /> Environmentalists have long litigated against the Marine Corps' plan to create the FRF on Okinawa, citing concerns the facility would harm the habitat of the dugong. The proposed FRF would extend a 1.5-mile long airstrip over the sea, onto offshore seagrass beds that form the dugong's habitat. The FRF plan is part of a larger U.S. restructuring agreement with Japan that includes moving thousands of Marines and their dependents from Okinawa to be based on Guam (see related story).<br /></span></span></span></p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlTrip to Okinawatag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2009-10-25:18428552009-10-25T11:49:03+01:002009-10-25T11:49:03+01:00 The main purpose was to meet people in Okinawa who confronts most unwanted...
<p>The main purpose was to meet people in Okinawa who confronts most unwanted unwelcome environmentally destructive and dangerous facilities in Okinawa. I joined them. If you want to know the detail, please read <a target="_blank" href="http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/archive/2009/10/13/us-military-is-dugong-killer.html">this article</a>.</p> <p>The below is the video clip I made for the summary of my Anti-US base tour.</p> <p><object data="http://www.youtube.com/v/-9ldwUzsnCY&hl=ja&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> <param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-9ldwUzsnCY&hl=ja&fs=1&" /> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /></object></p> <p> </p> <p>However, I really enjoyed sightseeing and leisure in Okinawa, too. Swimming in emerald green sea, attending a concert on the beach, eating delicous food, forest trecking and seeing magnificient views of the island. This is the most beautiful island in the world only if the US fucking bases are gotten rid of. See the below video clip. That's fun part of Okinawa trip.</p> <p><object data="http://www.youtube.com/v/JhY1dgxvdkM&hl=ja&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> <param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JhY1dgxvdkM&hl=ja&fs=1&" /> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /></object></p> <p> </p> <p>Since the Cold War is over, their presence is useless. Potential threat, China? No. China is world's largest owner of U.S. treasury bonds. They can't confront China because they owe Chinese a lot. All they do in Okinawa or other base towns in Japan is spread pollution disease, killing endangered mammals, commiting crimes such as rape and murder.</p> <p> </p> <p>What are they doing? Go back where they belong, where they are welcome. Not in Okinawa, Not elsewhere in Japan. </p> <p> </p>
Masagatahttp://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/about.htmlUS military is DUGONG KILLER!tag:dearamericans.blogspirit.com,2009-10-13:18375892009-10-13T15:48:00+02:002009-10-13T15:48:00+02:00 In Henoko, Nago-city, Okinawa Prefecture, Southernmost island of Japan,...
<p>In Henoko, Nago-city, Okinawa Prefecture, Southernmost island of Japan, Dugongs lives are endangered by US Marine Base construction.</p> <p>Negotiation to change the plan is underway between the two governments. </p> <p>It is in fact, part of US Military Transformation Program which includes relocation of Marines in Futenma. After Futenma is removed, half of the Marines there will be relocated to Guam, the other half will be to Henoko.</p> <p>But endangered sea mammals, dugongs inhabit in that coastal area. They eat seaweeds in that sea.</p> <p>The construction of the base will pollute the sea of that area thus kill that endangered species.</p> <p><object data="http://www.youtube.com/v/soVhgiJPngk&hl=ja&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> <param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/soVhgiJPngk&hl=ja&fs=1&" /> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /></object></p> <p><object data="http://www.youtube.com/v/-htxNd5EQR0&hl=ja&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> <param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-htxNd5EQR0&hl=ja&fs=1&" /> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /></object></p> <p> </p> <p>You know what! Americans who criticize Japan's whaling and dolphin hunting are killing such beautiful and endangered sea mammals.</p> <p>The preview of the film portrays their hypocrisy. Not taking on evil act of their own govermnet but accusing us of sea mammal killer.</p> <p><object data="http://www.youtube.com/v/4KRD8e20fBo&hl=ja&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> <param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4KRD8e20fBo&hl=ja&fs=1&" /> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /></object></p> <p>Japanese goverment and local people in Okinawa don't want that but the U.S. is pressuring to build that.</p> <p>Don't they think it would cause damage on their country's reputation among Japanese?</p> <p>Japanese don't like Americans any more and never want to buy things from Americans.</p> <p>The U.S. base is not defending Japan at all. China is thought to be potential threat, but China lends so much money to their bankrupt economy.</p> <p>Actually the U.S. needs financial help from Japan, too. Aren't they wise enough to be concerned about Japanese public opinion for their national interest?</p> <p>Actually it is time Japanese stop being friend with Americans. They are not decent enough to get along with.</p> <p>Well, I always try to avoid buying goods made in USA or those of American brands except necessary ones like Microsoft.</p> <p>Since deployment of Nuclear Aircraft Carrier in Yokosuka port, my feeling towards America was really changed.</p> <p>In fact, I realized that country sucks. I got tired of Hollywood films and pop music. I am more interested in other countries' culture and my own culture, not the one with no substantial tradition and history. </p> <p>Poor country, even a President receives Nobel Peace Prize, they have to continue spending so much money to kill people and destroy environment. The people there are losing jobs, starving and cannot afford medical expenditure. Young Americans join military to get tuition for college education. Obama never deserves Nobel Peace Prize.</p> <p>I can never believe I used to live in their country and study there for more than 5 years. That is away in the past. </p>