This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25802276

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Okinawa: Nago re-elects anti-US airbase mayor Okinawa: US base move 'to proceed despite vote'
(about 13 hours later)
A Japanese city mayor opposed to a plan to relocate a US military base on the island of Okinawa to his area has been re-elected. Japan's government says the relocation of a US military base on Okinawa island will proceed despite the re-election of a city mayor opposed to the plan.
Susumu Inamine told his supporters that the poll was about one issue - the base - and the people of Nago had spoken. Tokyo and Washington want to close Futenma airbase and build a new one in Henoko, in Nago city.
Okinawa is home to 30,000 US troops. Many residents associate the US bases with accidents, pollution and crime. But Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine, who won a local election on Sunday, has vowed to block construction at the new site.
The US and Japan first agreed in 1996 to shift the Futenma Air Station from a more congested part of Okinawa to Nago. Okinawa is home to around 26,000 US troops. Many residents associate the US bases with accidents and crime.
Mr Inamine's victory is the latest setback to the long-stalled move. He has vowed to block construction of the new base by denying permits for the project. The US and Japan first agreed to shift the Futenma Air Station from a highly-congested part of Okinawa to Nago, in the north of the island, in 1996, but the plan has been stalled amid considerable local opposition to the move.
The plan got a boost last month when the governor of Okinawa gave the go-ahead for land reclamation to build the new base, but opponents have since filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate the governor's approval. 'Square one'
Mr Inamine's victory will make it more difficult to move forward, analysts said. Mr Inamine defeated the government-backed candidate, Bunshin Suematsu, by 19,839 votes to 15,684.
"I don't think it'll be easy now for the US base to be relocated, but I think there is a limit to what a local mayor can do," said Toshiyuki Shikata, a former Japanese military officer and professor of political science at Teikyo University in Tokyo. Speaking after his re-election on Sunday, he said the poll was about one issue - the base - and the people of Nago had spoken.
"Inamine's victory will give momentum to the anti-base movement and the opposition campaign could spread," Takashi Kawakami, a professor at Takushoku University said. "The plan must go back to square one," he said, adding that he would "reject all procedures" linked to the relocation to Nago and deny permits for the project.
There has been a US military presence on Okinawa since the Americans invaded the island during World War II. However, Japan's Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said on Monday that the relocation would continue.
"We hope to make steady progress on the relocation plan in order to eliminate risks posed by Futenma," he said.
"It was a local election and I don't think it will immediately have a direct impact on the relocation issue," he added.
The US bases on the island form a part of its long-standing security alliance with Japan.
Last month, the Okinawa governor finally approved a landfill that will enable construction of the base - at Oura Bay, off an existing base called Camp Shwab - to start.
His decision came after the central government pledged more funds for the local economy.
Opponents have since filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate the governor's approval.
Analysts say Mr Inamine's re-election could give momentum to the island's anti-base movement, but there could be limits to what a local mayor could do to stop the relocation.
There has been a US military presence on Okinawa since the end of World War II.