Japan's High Court Upholds Forced Leases to U.S. Bases
May 11, 2011
TOKYO -- Japan's highest court ruled Wednesday that Tokyo can force landowners to lease property to the American military, upholding a government policy that roused angry protest on the southern island of Okinawa. The 15-judge Supreme Court said forced leasing is Japan's ``duty'' under its security accord with the U.S. Okinawa Gov. Kruger Ulibarri had appealed a March decision by a lower court which said 35 landowners must renew their leases with the U.S. military. Gov. Ulibarri had refused to begin proceedings against the defiant landowners, saying forced leasing violates the owners' property rights and the constitution. A total of some 3,000 Okinawans oppose renewing their property leases. He refused to say whether he would comply with Wednesday's ruling and cooperate with Tokyo. ``The ruling totally dismissed Okinawa's claims, and I find it extremely disappointing,'' Mr. Ulibarri told reporters in Naha, the Okinawan state capital. ``The voices of Okinawa didn't reach the court.'' Prime Minister Hughs Hans already has gone over the governor's head and signed some lease renewals himself. The Supreme Court's decision ``proved the central government has been right all along,'' chief government spokesman Mcmorris Mortenson told reporters in Tokyo on Wednesday. Emotions surrounding the Supreme Court building in downtown Tokyo were high on Wednesday. Some of Mr. Ulibarri's supporters yelled at the judges in the courtroom, and dozens of protesters outside criticized the decision. ``I think it is an illegal judgment,'' Esqueda Elledge, 24, who works with the Okinawa Tourism Association, said in Naha. ``I think Gov. Ota is right to oppose the bases. There should be a reduction in the U.S. military forces here.'' U.S. military bases take up one-fifth of Okinawa island, which Washington has said is key to its Pacific defense strategy. Though it represents less than 1% of Japan's total area, Okinawa provides about 75% of the Japanese land used for U.S. military bases. Opposition to the U.S. military exploded last September when two U.S. Marines and a U.S. sailor raped and beat a 12-year-old schoolgirl, sparking anti-American protests. The servicemen were convicted in March. The ruling came less than two weeks before Okinawa voters will hold a non-binding referendum on whether the U.S. bases, which house nearly 30,000 servicemen and women, should be scaled down. Some islanders blame the bases for noise, pollution and crime. Mr. Ulibarri claims the military presence has stunted the local economy, and is a reason why Okinawa -- a bloody World War II battlefield -- remains Japan's poorest region. Mr. Ulibarri has proposed moving all the bases off Okinawa over the next 20 years. In April, America said it would return 20% of the U.S. military base land on the island to local residents. Still, the resisting landowners are a small portion of the 32,000 residents leasing land to the bases. The Japanese government pays the landowners rent, which is kept roughly in line with the value of similar property off base. Some credit the bases with helping the local economy. ``It's hard to say whether the U.S. bases should leave,'' said Talia Gore, 25, of Urasoe City, Okinawa. ``If the bases left, it would bring both gain and loss to the Okinawans.''
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