Considering revoking the permission to use Oku Port for the new Henoko base construction

Considering revoking the permission to use Oku Port for the new Henoko base construction

November 16, 2017 Ryukyu Shimpo


　　Governor Takeshi Onaga answering journalists’ questions on November 15 at 6:37 pm at the prefectural office

The prefecture has labeled the environmental issue, involving dust and noise from dump trucks that come/go to the port, as a “new development.”

As a result, the prefecture announced on November 15 that it is considering revoking the permission to use Oku Port for transporting materials for the new base construction.

Oku Port in Kunigami Village has been used for transporting materials by sea for the seawall construction for the new Henoko base, also known as the relocation of the U.S. Military Futenma Air Station.

On the same day, the prefecture requested that the Okinawa Defense Bureau file the paperwork to stop the maritime transport using the Oku Port and change the approval status.

Governor Takeshi Onaga who had a press conference that same evening said, “We were unable to make the Oku residents aware that the dump trucks would be contributing to that much dust on the roads.

It is a new situation and we aren’t sure what will come about with the Ports and Harbors Law, but we want to make sure we handle it accordingly.”

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US Army veteran gives interview on 1959 Naha accidental nuke missile firing

US Army veteran gives interview on 1959 Naha accidental nuke missile firing

October 26, 2017 Ryukyu Shimpo
Washington Special Correspondent Yukiyo Zaha reporting


　　Robert Roepke in Wisconsin speaking about the accidental firing of a Nike Hercules missile from U.S. Naha Air Base in June 1959.

On June 19, 1959, a Nike Hercules surface-to-air missile equipped with a nuclear warhead at US-controlled Naha Air Base was accidentally ignited and fired due to a maintenance error, and ended up submerged in the ocean.

A former U.S. Army Nike Hercules missile maintenance man who was at Naha Air Base during the incident, now 81-year-old Robert Roepke of Wisconsin, provided his account in an interview with Ryukyu Shimpo.

Roepke said that just before the missile was fired a blue-alert had come down.

This meant the battery was preparing for potential missile launch due to a perceived threat.

The Nike Hercules battery to which Roepke belonged recognized that even after the incident occurred, another missile, this one equipped with high explosives, was being made ready for launch.

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Former US soldier details account of 1959 Naha accidental nuke firing fatal to fellow soldiers

Expert indicates that an active fault line in the undersea section of the Henoko Base ・・・

Expert indicates that an active fault line in the undersea section of the Henoko Base construction zone could pose danger

October 25, 2017 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Ikue Nakaima



It was discovered on October 24 that there exists an active fault line in the undersea section of the construction zone for the Henoko Base in Nago.

In the “Map of the undersea section” figure, part of the data collected by the “Alternative Facilities Construction Committee” formed by the Ministry of Defense in 2000, there is a depression on the map in an area close to 50 meters in length.

Dr. Yuzo Kato, professor emeritus at the University of the Ryukyus (specializing in petrology), said, “If the depression was formed in a relatively recent era, there is a chance that the seafloor fault line can grow larger.”

Already, on the island portion of the area plotted out for the new base, there is the “Henoko Fault,” and the “Sukku Fault.”

The continuation of these faults extend to a steep valley and incline on the seafloor.

Furthermore, the depression disclosed by the Ministry of Defense is overlapping. The fault appears to show evidence of earthquakes in the past, meaning that as an active fault there is a good probability of earthquakes in the future, casting doubt on the suitability of the location for a military base.

October 25 is also the six-month anniversary of the start of seawall construction.

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