3 Reasons, why I Oppose U.S. New Base in Henoko

Okinawa Prefectural Referendum for Henoko New Base will be held on 24^th Feb. 2019.

The Referendum is about U.S. Marine’s Base construction.

I have a strong desire that all Americans to get to know about OKINAWA’s issue.

Here, I give 3 reasons why I oppose U.S. New Base in Henoko.

NO1, I moved to Okinawa 5 years ago. I lived in Tokyo until 18 years old. I had never thought about U.S. Military Base issue of Okinawa.

However, I traveled to Okinawa twice, when I was 12 and 18 years old.

A purpose of travel was “Beach & Resort”. I didn’t have an any interest about U.S. Base issue and even a history of a battle of Okinawa during my travel.

As I was a one of the majority Japanese who don’t think about Okinawa Issue.

So, I know how much Japanese main landers don’t know & don't care about Okinawa.

In schools, with friends, and even with a family, I had never discussed about Okinawa issue.

Until I start to live in Okinawa, I couldn’t imagine how much effective to normal life and military base is even be part of everyday life in Okinawa.

In an everyday life, I see military trucks with explosive signs and almost everyday helicopters and airplanes are flying over my head. Drunk drives, violent incidents are very often on the news in Okinawa.

I can’t tell all stories here but in an ordinary life, U.S. military problems are always people’s mind in Okinawa.

This is what I didn’t experience in 18 years at Tokyo.

So, NO1 reason why I oppose Henoko New Base is, As a Japanese, We all have a responsibility that We have thrusted U.S. Base problem to Okinawa. To end the discrimination.

On 2016.  A woman age of 20 (Rina Shimabukuro) was brutally murdered by a worker in Kadena Air Force Base who is ex U.S. Marine Corp.

When police opened the information to public that a woman is missing for days.

All Okinawa people wished her to be found alive. (but also thinking that she maybe already murdered)

She was a friend of my neighbor. Okinawa is a small society. These incident gives a strong trauma and scar into people’s mind. And I realized that people in Okinawa have been experiencing this for 74 years.

A Sense of loss and a feeling of helplessness is what I never felt before in my Life.

NO2, A picture above is children of Afghanistan.

In an Afghanistan, there are different tribes, so, languages and cultures are diverse.

They are orphaned children. Wars continue since 1978 in Afghanistan, People under age of 40 don’t know the world without war.

On 2004, Marine Division of Henoko Camp Schwab was a being part of Fallujah massacre in Iraq.

One day, I had a chance to talk with a veteran who went to Iraq war.

And he said “ We beat bad guys”, We liberated Afghan people from bad guys”.
But afterwards, his friend told me he is not 100% confident what he did in Iraq but in front people, he pretend that way.

On the other hand, My friend in Afghanistan told me that a group of young men started a peace walk in Afghanistan. They demand the foreign troops to leave from their country. They walked a few hundred kms and visited numbers of embassies.

2^nd reason why I oppose Henoko New Base is, To stop wars of America.

Korean war, Vietnam war, Gulf war, Afghan war, Iraq war etc… the U.S. bases in Japan is used for their wars.

Do we have a responsibility for their war and its consequence as we offer the bases?

NO3, The sea of Henoko and the Oura bay is a precious and sacred place where countless lives have their lives. Today, people’s consciousness toward an earth and an environment have been rising than ever before. It’s an easy theory that if we keep destroy the earth and the environment, we mankind can’t live safely anymore. 

Human’s old beliefs (religions) teach us a feeling of awe for the power of nature, teach us a way to appreciate for needs what we receive.

Economic growth & Science technology are occupying our minds of today, and seems like they have very week sense of ethics and morality.

Science & Technology has enormous and unimaginable power to change this world.

It’s a big question how we deal with our uncontrollable power without old beliefs.
The future of new beliefs are very unstable with out a brake of morality.

It’s an important time for all of us.
 To see the world different way how we were taught to see.

How we see the earth? 
How we see the ocean, the rivers, the mountains, the trees? 
How we see the animals, the fish, the birds, the insects, the microbes?

The ancient teaching teaches us “Everything is Connected”.
No one can be live alone, exist alone.
Everything, Evry happenings in this world is inter-connected.
Web of Life.

 When we pollute the soil, contaminate the water and air for an economic growth.
At a same time if we lose a respect to one another,
we will have to live in a suffering world.

The 3^rd reason why I oppose Henoko New Base is the Oura & Henoko bay and we Okinawa people has common future. Loss of the bay means, loss of our lives.

Three reasons why I oppose Henoko New Base.

Thank you for reading.

Prayer.

What is prayer?

Focusing a consciousness toward something?

Prayer leads me to a meditation and be able to observe myself.

When Prayer gets deeper and meditate deeper, the walls between me and others are vanished.

Those who stand in front of me, bother me, it’s a no body but me.