"Futenma Decision" (普天間基地問題）

"Futenma decision" - As you might have heard, this has been one of the top stories on news lately here in Japan. "Should the Futenma Marine Corps Air Station be relocated to the northern Okinawa or outside of Okinawa? Or to Guam?" The prefecture has long demanded the Futenma base be transferred from Okinawa. Now that there is a new Prime Minister in office, this issue has come up again. It has been discussed quite a bit between the governments of Japan and the U.S. As you can see from the picture, the Futenma base is located in the middle of Ginowan City -- the city where we live. The decision of relocating this base has been difficult for both the city and for the prefecture.

今ニュースで何かと話題になっている「普天間基地問題」ですが、この普天間基地は私たちが住んでいる宜野湾市にあります。一枚目の写真を見てもらえれば良く分かりますが、基地を真ん中に宜野湾市の市民がその周りに住んでいます。「普天間基地」の問題は市民にも県民にも難しいもので、沖縄の歴史や産業を考えると簡単に解決するものではないようです。二国間での話し合いがどうなるのか興味深いところです。