Denjitsu Ishimine, the Mayor of Yomitan Village, agreed in a regular meeting of the village assembly on Dec. 16th to the relocation of part of functions of Camp Kinser to Torii Station, which is located within his municipality.

As for his reasons to accept the relocation, Ishimine explained, “I accept this relocation in order to help to solve the U.S. military base problem that is the biggest factor obstructing the economy of Okinawa.”

Ishimine told the assembly further that he will take advantage of the subsidy from the national government in order to ensure the safety of the residents in the village, and stressed that he is not welcoming the relocation but had to make an agonizing choice.

Ishimine had previously expressed his opposition to accepting the relocation on the grounds of Yomitan bearing too large a burden of hosting the base with increased functions.

But Ishimine explained he changed his policy after the relocation related construction work on Torii Station had already started, and that he had received requests from three community associations around Torii Station to use the subsidy for regional development projects and improving convenience of people’s life.

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