Okinawa election hands Tokyo freer hand on military build-up — SkimNews
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- Genta Koja, 42, backed by Prime Minister Takaichi's government, defeated two-term incumbent Denny Tamaki, 66, with 59% of the vote in Sunday's Okinawa gubernatorial election.
- Denny Tamaki's departure ends 12 years of Okinawa governors who sought to reduce the U.S. military presence in the prefecture.
- U.S. Marines' planned relocation from Futenma air base to Henoko on the main island, previously blocked by gubernatorial legal challenges, no longer faces an opposing governor.
- Masaaki Gabe, professor emeritus at the University of the Ryukyus, said Koja could approve military designations of civilian airports and ports, opening them to military use.
- Sanae Takaichi is preparing to unveil a new national security strategy this year, citing the need to deter Beijing from using force over its East Asian territorial ambitions.
- Okinawa's Yonaguni island lies 110 km east of Taiwan; Japan has deployed missile and electronic-warfare units on several southwestern islands and is expanding ammunition storage.
Why it matters: The Futenma-to-Henoko Marine relocation, stalled for years by gubernatorial lawsuits, can now proceed with Koja's cooperation — a precondition Takaichi needs for her national security strategy, which calls for Japan's biggest military build-up since World War Two. Civilian airports and ports on Okinawa also become available for military designation.
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