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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 NAHA 000229 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  10/18/2031 
TAGS: JA PREL MARR
SUBJECT: OKINAWA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES ANNOUNCE PLATFORMS, 
"UNITED" AGAINST FUTENMA REPLACEMENT FACILITY 
 
REF: REFTEL A: NAHA 213, REFTEL B: 227 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Carmela A. Conroy, Acting Consul General, 
American Consulate General Naha, DOS. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
 
 
¶1. (C) Summary:  Recently both Okinawa gubernatorial candidates 
have announced their policy platforms, which are long on 
aspirations and short on details.  Reformist candidate Keiko 
ITOKAZU declared her top issue to be opposing the relocation 
within Okinawa of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Futenma, a key 
initiative of the 2005 USG-GOJ Alliance Transformation and 
Realignment report.  She has also called for abrogation of the 
US-Japan Mutual Security Treaty and the total elimination of US 
military bases from Okinawa.  Conservative candidate Hirokazu 
NAKAIMA has attempted to turn the debate towards economic 
issues, while "fuzzily" opposing the agreed Futenma replacement 
facility.  Nakaima says he intends to incorporate Okinawan 
opinion in renegotiating something new from the GOJ, leaving 
open the possibility of relocation within Okinawa.  The local 
media have declared Itokazu and Nakaima "united" in opposing the 
agreed plan.  End Summary. 
 
Itokazu Taking Anti-base, Anti-US-Japan Security Alliance Stance~ 
 
¶2. (C)   National Upper House Diet Member Itokazu is the 
candidate backed by five of six reformist parties: the Japanese 
Communist Party, the Democratic Party of Japan, the Socialist 
Party of Japan, Rengo Okinawa, and her own Okinawa Socialist 
Masses Party.  Only Sozo, the party founded by National Lower 
House Diet Member Mikio SHIMOJI, has so far refrained from 
supporting her, saying it is still studying her platform.  In an 
October 14 newspaper interview Itokazu clearly stated she did 
not recognize the US-Japan Mutual Security Treaty.  Itokazu has 
also said she was willing to negotiate with the US only if the 
US follows its stated policy that "it will not establish bases 
where it is not welcomed."  Note: This is a reference to a 2003 
remark by SecDef Rumsfeld regarding the possibility of building 
bases in Iraq.  End note.  She also claimed, without 
elaboration, the United States discriminates against Okinawa by 
applying different policies in the prefecture than it does at 
home.  Itokazu has long advocated closing all military bases in 
Okinawa.  However, her anti-US-Japan Security Treaty position is 
new, as she had previously avoided making direct calls for 
abrogating the treaty, calling for it to be "reviewed." 
 
~ And Looking to Eliminate Bases on Okinawa 
 
¶3. (SBU) Itokazu said she would like to revise the Ota 
Administration's action plan, which called for a phased closure 
of all US military facilities in the prefecture.  Governor 
Masahide OTA developed his "Base Return Action Program" in 1996. 
 Ota's original plan called for a three-step return of US bases, 
with facilities like MCAS Futenma being returned in 2001, the 
Marine Corps' Camp Courtney and Army's Torii Station in 2010, 
and Kadena Air Force Base in 2015.  After-use plans were to be 
developed in conjunction with the returns, with the end goal of 
 
NAHA 00000229  002 OF 004 
 
 
establishing a cosmopolitan city with transportation and 
information networks linking Okinawa with various Asian nations. 
 
¶4. (C)  Itokazu has not proposed concrete changes to Ota's 
action plan, but has suggested that she would maintain the 
deadline of 2015 for closing all US military facilities and 
establishing a public corporation to deal with returned lands. 
She has also called for the immediate closure and return of MCAS 
Futenma, and for its functions to be removed from Japan. 
Itokazu has also said that she would participate in discussions 
of the FRF with the GOJ and municipal leaders, with the express 
purpose of opposing any FRF within Okinawa.  This deviates from 
the previous reformist position that participating in the 
GOJ-local talks amounted to tacit acceptance of the V-shaped FRF 
plan.  The change in the reformist position may be linked to 
recent press and reformist criticism that Governor Inamine 
failed to convey Okinawans' (anti-base) opinions to the USG and 
GOJ during his two terms. 
 
¶5.  (C) Itokazu stated she planned to use the agreed October 
2005 Alliance Transformation and Realignment (ATARA) Report as a 
step towards returning all base facilities to Okinawan control. 
She called for pursuit of the initiatives to transfer 8,000 
Marines to Guam and close US bases south of Kadena AFB, while 
refusing to accept the link between these measures and the FRF 
plan.  An October 14 Okinawa Times editorial questioned how 
Itokazu would realize these aspirations. 
 
Nakaima Vague on FRF, Focusing on Returned Land After-Use Plans 
 
¶6. (C)  Former vice governor (during the Ota administration) and 
Okinawa Electric Power Company Chairman Nakaima told us he 
planned to follow the advice of current Governor Keiichi INAMINE 
and take a vague stance on base issues.  See reftel A.  This 
would supposedly allow him to show Okinawans he would represent 
their best interests by insisting on USG-GOJ plans that 
incorporated Okinawans opinions, while still being able to 
successfully work with the GOJ.  Nakaima announced that he could 
not accept the V-shaped FRF plan in its current form.   However, 
his stated chief objection was that the plan was adopted without 
listening to Okinawan opinions, not that he opposed relocating 
MCAS Futenma within Okinawa. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Nakaima has repeatedly stated that while relocating 
MCAS Futenma outside of Okinawa would be best, given the 
US-Japan Security Treaty and regional security concerns, "there 
is no choice but for [MCAS Futenma's] relocation within the 
prefecture."  He has stated that the base burden on Okinawa must 
be reduced, and has indicated interest in Inamine's proposal for 
a temporary heliport to be built at Camp Schwab in order to 
hasten MCAS Futenma's closure.  He has also said he wants to 
develop a concrete plan in cooperation with the GOJ to eliminate 
the danger of MCAS Futenma within four years.  Nakaima has 
publicly stated his willingness to attend consultative meetings 
with the GOJ and northern municipalities to discuss the V-shaped 
FRF and economic promotion measures. 
 
¶8. (C) Nakaima has been clearer in his plans for developing base 
 
NAHA 00000229  003 OF 004 
 
 
land being returned in conjunction with ATARA.  Nakaima has said 
that US land returns represent an opportunity for Okinawa, and 
has called on the GOJ to do its duty in helping Okinawans 
develop the land.  He has also asked for the GOJ to extend the 
Okinawa economic promotion special measures law, currently due 
to expire around 2011.  Nakaima also stated the need to consider 
the positions of military landowners and base workers in 
formulating his policy.   He proposed establishing a land 
preservation and maintenance organization to formulate 
development plans for returned land. 
 
Economic Policies: Pork All Around 
 
¶9. (C)  Both candidates are campaigning about the economic 
goodies they intend to seek for the prefecture, such as adding 
another runway to congested Naha Airport, and extending the Naha 
monorail and national expressway to the northern part of the 
main island.  However, Itokazu is attempting to split off 
economic promotion measures from the continued US military 
presence in Okinawa.  Naha Airport's second runway was among the 
perks mentioned by the GOJ in November 2005 as a part of 
economic promotion measures aimed at facilitating Okinawans' 
acceptance of an FRF in Nago City.  Senior Liberal Democratic 
Party (LDP) politicians like Taku YAMASAKI also mentioned the 
plan for a railway extension during the Nago mayoral campaign in 
January 2006, with the tacit understanding that it was linked to 
Nago accepting the plan to build an FRF at Camp Schwab. 
 
¶10. (C) Both candidates are touting an increase in Okinawan 
tourism as a way to boost the economy.  Itokazu's plans have 
focused on developing eco-tourism and she has advocated 
preserving Okinawa's beaches and water areas.  She has also 
stated a goal of expanding annual tourism to 8 million visitors. 
 She has also called for cultural and economic exchanges with 
the rest of Asia.  Nakaima said he aims to increase tourism to 
10 million visitors a year. Note. In 2005 just over 5 million 
tourists, over 90% of who were Japanese, visited Okinawa. End 
Note. 
 
¶11. (C) Reducing unemployment is another common goal, and with 
Okinawa's unemployment rate perpetually twice the national 
average, one that may resonate with voters. Both say they will 
eliminate the prefecture's gap between jobs available and lack 
of skilled labor need to fill them. Itokazu would also like to 
increase employment opportunities for disabled workers.  Itokazu 
has pledged to create 20,000 new jobs during her term, but 
offered no concrete details of how she would accomplish that. 
Nakaima has pledged to bring Okinawa's unemployment rate of 7-8 
percent down to the national average of 4-5 percent, but also 
lacks a detailed plan. 
 
Comment 
 
¶12. (C) Comment:  The success of Itokazu's platform lies in 
whether she can convince voters that she as governor could 
cherry-pick what she wants of ATARA, and GOJ economic promotion 
measures, while opposing the FRF and demanding all US bases in 
the prefecture be closed.  Currently the GOJ is not explicitly 
 
NAHA 00000229  004 OF 004 
 
 
linking Okinawa's acceptance of ATARA with economic promotion 
measures, which permits Itokazu to use this theme.  Still, a 
recent editorial questioned how Itokazu planned to make good on 
her promises, and a reformist contact told us she was simply 
"offering sweets, with no plan on how to get them."  Nakaima has 
handicapped himself by remaining fuzzy on base issues.  His 
opposition to the V-plan is letting the media and reformists 
press him on whether he would accept an FRF within Okinawa, an 
issue he hoped to avoid.  Nakaima's attempts to turn the debate 
from bases to the economy have been somewhat successful. 
However, he appears to have fallen into the trap of allowing the 
media and the reformist parties to set the campaign agenda.  It 
is too early to tell whether the candidates' platforms will 
overcome the here-to-for overwhelming attention on the 
popularity contest between the polished former peace bus guide 
and the rumpled power company executive.  End Comment. 
CONROY