Abe to overrule referendum on US base in Okinawa

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said plans to relocate a US military base on the island of Okinawa will continue, despite a referendum rejecting the move.

Just over 70% of voters – or 434,000 people – opposed construction of a new base on Okinawa’s northeast coast that will replace an existing US marine corps base 30 miles away. Just 19% voted in favor of the move, with the turnout at 52%.

In recent years, a number of accidents and crimes have led to growing local opposition to the base.

On Monday, Abe told journalists the government takes the referendum result seriously, but cannot delay the 20-year-old plan to move US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to a new location.

"We cannot avoid the necessity of moving Futenma, said to be the most dangerous base in the world," the prime minister said.

"We can't put this off any longer."

Abe said he hoped local residents would understand why he had to overrule their preference.

"We have spent many years holding dialogue with people in the prefecture. We will continue our dialogue so that we can gain their understanding," he added.

The number of “no” votes easily exceeded the threshold of more than a quarter of Okinawa’s 1.16 million eligible voters required for the island’s governor, Denny Tamaki, to “respect” the referendum’s outcome.

The referendum asked voters if they opposed, supported or held neither opinion on the construction of a military base in Henoko, a fishing village on the island’s north-east coast that is home to coral reefs and one of the few remaining habitats of the dugong.

The new facility is supposed to replace the Marines’ Futenma airbase, located in the middle of a densely populated city. Futenma has attracted complaints about crimes committed by service personnel, noise and the threat of aircraft accidents in an area close to homes and schools.

Critics say the Henoko base will destroy the area’s delicate marine ecosystem and threaten the safety of about 2,000 residents living near the site.

A year later, Tokyo and Washington agreed to reduce the US military footprint on Okinawa by closing Futenma and relocating its functions to Henoko. But most Okinawans want the new base to be built elsewhere in Japan.