Over 67 percent of Okinawa residents plan to vote against the central government’s controversial plan to transfer a key U. S. air base within the…
Over 67 percent of Okinawa residents plan to vote against the central government’s controversial plan to transfer a key U. S. air base within the prefecture, in the local referendum set for Feb. 24, a Kyodo News poll showed Sunday.
While the result of the referendum will not be legally binding, Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki hopes the vote will demonstrate local opposition to the transfer of U. S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in the prefecture, which hosts the bulk of U. S. military facilities in the country.
According to the opinion poll, which was conducted Saturday and Sunday on 1,047 eligible voters in the prefecture, 67.7 percent of respondents said they will cast a “no” vote on the base plan and only 15.8 percent said they will vote in favor of the relocation.
About 1.16 million Okinawa residents with Japanese citizenship aged 18 or over will be eligible to vote. Voters will have three options on the ballot asking what they think about building a replacement facility in a coastal area of Henoko — “yes,” “no” or “neither.
