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CLOSE THE BASE is brought to you by the Institute for Policy Studies: Ideas into Action for Peace, Justice, and the Environment.
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Close the Base Petition
Please add your name to the following petition to close the U.S. Marines Corps base at Futenma and oppose the construction of other U.S. bases in Okinawa, Japan.
I support the closure of the controversial U.S. Marines Corps base at Futenma and oppose the construction of other U.S. bases in Okinawa.
The Futenma base is located in the center of Ginowan, a densely populated city in Okinawa, and generates noise pollution, accidents, and incidents on a daily basis. Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld called Futenma the “most dangerous U.S. base
in the world.” In 2004, a Marine helicopter crashed into the campus of a university in Ginowan.
In 1995—following a U.S. Marine gang rape of a twelve-year-old girl—100,000 Okinawans demonstrated against the U.S. military presence. In 1996, the U.S. and Japan agreed to close the Futenma base and announced the construction of a replacement facility off the east coast of Okinawa near Camp Schwab, another Marine base at Henoko, an ecologically sensitive coastal area. The area is a treasure trove for marine life, particularly the sea turtle and the critically endangered dugong, cousin to the manatee. Local activists—supported by transnational environmentalist NGOs—protested to protect Henoko. But, in 2006, the United States and Japan agreed to relocate roughly 8,000
Marines from Okinawa to Guam, but only if Futenma Marines are transferred to Henoko.
Okinawans don't want another U.S. military base on their island. The beautiful tropical island already hosts more than 30 U.S. bases and facilities. The governor, the mayors, the newspapers, and the voters of Okinawa have consistently opposed the building of another base: at Henoko, at White Beach, or at nearby Tokunoshima island.
We urge the U.S. and Japanese governments to renegotiate the terms of the 2006 realignment agreement. We join with the Okinawans to say: no more military bases or base expansions on this island.
The Futenma base is located in the center of Ginowan, a densely populated city in Okinawa, and generates noise pollution, accidents, and incidents on a daily basis. Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld called Futenma the “most dangerous U.S. base
in the world.” In 2004, a Marine helicopter crashed into the campus of a university in Ginowan.
In 1995—following a U.S. Marine gang rape of a twelve-year-old girl—100,000 Okinawans demonstrated against the U.S. military presence. In 1996, the U.S. and Japan agreed to close the Futenma base and announced the construction of a replacement facility off the east coast of Okinawa near Camp Schwab, another Marine base at Henoko, an ecologically sensitive coastal area. The area is a treasure trove for marine life, particularly the sea turtle and the critically endangered dugong, cousin to the manatee. Local activists—supported by transnational environmentalist NGOs—protested to protect Henoko. But, in 2006, the United States and Japan agreed to relocate roughly 8,000
Marines from Okinawa to Guam, but only if Futenma Marines are transferred to Henoko.
Okinawans don't want another U.S. military base on their island. The beautiful tropical island already hosts more than 30 U.S. bases and facilities. The governor, the mayors, the newspapers, and the voters of Okinawa have consistently opposed the building of another base: at Henoko, at White Beach, or at nearby Tokunoshima island.
We urge the U.S. and Japanese governments to renegotiate the terms of the 2006 realignment agreement. We join with the Okinawans to say: no more military bases or base expansions on this island.
