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The Prime Minister in Action
Memorial Ceremony to Commemorate the Fallen on the 73rd Anniversary of the End of the Battle of Okinawa
June 23, 2018
Photograph of the Prime Minister delivering an address at the Memorial Ceremony to Commemorate the Fallen on the 73rd Anniversary of the End of the Battle of Okinawa (1)
Photograph of the Prime Minister offering flowers at the National Cemetery for the War Dead
Photograph of the Prime Minister observing a minute of silence at the Memorial Ceremony to Commemorate the Fallen on the 73rd Anniversary of the End of the Battle of Okinawa
Photograph of the Prime Minister offering a flower at the Memorial Ceremony to Commemorate the Fallen on the 73rd Anniversary of the End of the Battle of Okinawa (1)
Photograph of the Prime Minister offering a flower at the Memorial Ceremony to Commemorate the Fallen on the 73rd Anniversary of the End of the Battle of Okinawa (2)
Photograph of the Prime Minister delivering an address at the Memorial Ceremony to Commemorate the Fallen on the 73rd Anniversary of the End of the Battle of Okinawa (2)
Photograph of the Prime Minister offering flowers at the Shimamori Monument
On June 23, 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the Memorial Ceremony to Commemorate the Fallen on the 73rd Anniversary of the End of the Battle of Okinawa, held in Okinawa Prefecture.
The Prime Minister offered flowers at the National Cemetery for the War Dead in Okinawa, and then, during the memorial ceremony held at the Peace Memorial Park, observed a minute of silence at noon. Following this, the Prime Minister offered a flower and delivered an address. Finally, the Prime Minister offered flowers at the Shimamori Monument.
After offering the flowers, the Prime Minister made the following statement in response to a question regarding the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Futenma,
“We cannot afford to wait any longer for the total return of MCAS Futenma, which is surrounded by schools and residential buildings, and is said to be “the most dangerous base in the world. We must avoid the continued use of MCAS Futenma. This is the fundamental premise and our common understanding to deal with this issue.
Among the three functions of MCAS Futenma to be relocated, only one are is still being left. We have already realized the relocation of all 15 tanker aircraft stationed in Futenma to MCAS Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Regarding emergency and contingency use, we have already designated it to Self-Defense Force (SDF) air stations in Kyushu. The Osprey aircraft are being maintained in Chiba Prefecture. Through the relocation to Henoko, flight paths will be moved to occur over water and no longer go over schools or residential areas. This will significantly improve safety. It will also greatly reduce noise. The number of houses needing soundproofing will drop from over ten thousand to zero.
In order to achieve the total return of MCAS Futenma as soon as possible, we are moving forward with the relocation in line with relevant laws and the decision of the Supreme Court. From the perspective of safety as well, this will contribute to mitigating the impact of the base. We will continue to engage in sustained efforts to gain the cooperation and understanding of Okinawa Prefecture and the local communities.”
In addition, the Prime Minister said in response to a question by a reporter regarding mitigating the impact of bases on Okinawa
“It is not acceptable that, even now, 73 years after the end of World War II, Okinawa still bears the heavy impact of the bases. I take this issue very seriously. The guarantee of the safety of the Japanese public is a basic premise for the operations of the U.S. forces. Any incidents or accidents must not be tolarated to occur. I have made strong requests directly to President Trump regarding rigorously ensuring the safety of the operation of U.S. forces aircraft. We are working on this issue as a top priority under the basic principle of ensuring the safety of local communities, including those of children.
In addition, the incident that found the day before yesterday in Nago City is a grave problem which could be life-threatening. The police are currently carrying out rigorous investigations. We requested that the U.S. Forces confirm the facts related to this incident and to suspend the use of the suspected shooting ranges for the time being. Moreover, yesterday, I requested the cooperation of U.S. Ambassador Hagerty; consequently, the use of guns in these ranges has been suspended for a period of time. .
We must produce one result after another to mitigate the impact of bases on Okinawa. We realized the return of the Northern Training Area of the U.S. Forces in Okinawa, which had been an agenda for 20 years. This was the biggest single return of lands since the reversion of Okinawa. From this fiscal year, we will soon start to make use of the former site from the West Futenma Housing Area. Furthermore, the relocation of 9,000 U.S. Marines to areas overseas is now moving forward towards realization.. We will continue to advance efforts to mitigate the impact of the bases on Okinawa while paying close attention to the feelings of the local people.”
