Nago Mayor Wins 3rd Term: Broaden Public Understanding of Base Relocation to Henoko

Editorial

15:42 JST, January 29, 2026

Intrusions into Japan’s territorial waters by China Coast Guard vessels around the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture have become the norm. Late last year, the Chinese military conducted large-scale military exercises around Taiwan.

It can be said that the result of the mayoral election indicates that awareness among residents that the presence of U.S. forces in Japan is indispensable for protecting Japan’s territory and territorial waters has grown to a certain extent.

In the mayoral election in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, incumbent Mayor Taketoyo Toguchi, backed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and other parties that support the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, to the Henoko district in Nago, secured a third term by a large margin. He defeated other candidates, including a newcomer who campaigned against the relocation.

Toguchi did not mention the relocation issue during the campaign period, instead emphasizing his achievements, such as making medical and school lunch fees for children free.

His landslide victory, in which he received nearly twice as many votes as the runner-up, likely reflects citizens’ feelings that the city should avoid confrontation with the central government over the relocation issue.

Meanwhile, helicopter noise around U.S. Marine Corps Camp Schwab in Nago remains a long-standing problem. Opposition movements by some residents are still active near Henoko.

Toguchi must sincerely listen to residents’ demands and work with the central government to address issues such as noise pollution, while making efforts to seek understanding for the relocation plan.

All the lawsuits filed by the prefectural government, which opposes the relocation, against the central government have already been settled. Relocation work has entered a new phase.

The Defense Ministry has almost completed the reclamation work in the southern section, which accounts for a quarter of the entire roughly 152-hectare sea area set for land reclamation. Work is now underway to pour sand and soil into the remaining eastern section. However, the project is facing difficulties due to soft ground in this area of the sea, causing the construction work to fall behind schedule.

Nevertheless, to eliminate the dangers posed by the Futenma base, which is surrounded by schools and houses, while maintaining the deterrent power of the U.S. military, there is no choice but to realize the Henoko relocation. The central government needs to steadily move ahead with the construction.

Reducing the burden on Okinawa from hosting bases is also a critical issue. About five hectares of U.S. military Camp Zukeran in central Okinawa Prefecture likely will be returned to Japan soon. The central government should persistently negotiate with the United States and seek the return of other U.S. military facilities as much as possible as well.

Issues regarding the bases in Okinawa Prefecture have also become one of the points of contention in the upcoming House of Representatives election. Regarding the relocation plan, Yoshihiko Noda, coleader of the Centrist Reform Alliance, has repeatedly made ambiguous statements such as that he will “deal [with the situation] realistically,” drawing criticism from the LDP and others.

Even though he is in an opposition party, it is problematic for the leader of a party aiming to become the largest one to persist with a stance that could undermine Japan-U.S. relations.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Jan. 29, 2026)