Urasoe Mayor indicates accepting military port into city

Urasoe City Mayor Tetsuji Matsumoto seems to have had a change of heart regarding the transfer of Naha Military Port from its current location to his city on reclaimed land outside Camp Kinser.

The mayor announced his change of mind at a meeting on Tuesday, to which he had invited members of Urasoe City Assembly and Urasoe Chamber of Commerce. At the meeting Matsumoto said that he was leaning towards accepting the relocation of the military port to Urasoe.

Matsumoto had said during his election campaign that he was opposing the plan of moving the military port to Urasoe, but has said since the beginning of this year that he would be ready to accept it on condition that some changes to the central government plans would be made.

In Tuesday meeting he said that he would make the final decision by the end of this month.

For several years Urasoe City has had plans to make the shore area of Camp Kinser a resort that would have beaches, hotels and leisure facilities all to be built on reclaimed land in the area.  The proposed military port would be located at the south end of the current base near Irijima commercial area, also on reclaimed land.

06:53 29 Mar , 2024