Monday, November 15, 2010

Shimoji Lays Down His Marker

In a move that may very likely complicate the government's wish to abide by the May decision with the United States to replace the Futenma Marine Corps Air Station with a partially offshore facility to be built at the town of Henoko, Shimoji Mikio, the People New Party Secretary-General and Representative of Okinawa District #1 has endorsed Iha Yoichi for governor of Okinawa Prefecture. Calling the government's current plan for a Futenma replacement facility at Henoko "unrealistic," Shimoji has chosen to endorse the radical former mayor of Ginowan City -- home of the Futenma -- over the incumbent Nakaima Hirokazu. Shimoji, who earlier this year had himself offered an onshore plan for a Futenma replacement facility at Henoko, has given his nod to the candidate who has insisted that a replacement for Futenma cannot be built inside Okinawa Prefecture.

When a representative who is a member of what is ostensibly part of a ruling coalition picks sides, and he chooses the candidate who will not accept the government's current plan, the government has just one more problem that it did not need.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe there is less here than there seems.

There is no love lost between Shimoji and Nakaima.

Thus not much of a surprise and unlikely to hold much political meaning. If anything, it is questionable that Shimoji's endorsement is a plus. He is pretty slimy and has his own financial interests.

Most likely he is jockeying for say in whatever happens next.

Anonymous said...

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welcome

Lalique said...

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Anonymous said...

You are the dumbest person I've ever seen. Do you like being wrong on consistent basis. Thank God you don't write about our politics. Then