Marine Corps Air Station Futenma To Move
The governments of the United States and Japan agreed (in the Special actions committee on Okinawa) on 26 October 2005 to move the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma base from its location in the densely populated Ginowan City section of the island to the more northerly and remote Camp Schwab. Thousands of Marines will relocate, affecting the retail economy near both bases. The move is partly an attempt to relieve tensions between Okinawans and the US Marine Corps. Protests from environmental groups and residents over the construction of part of a runway at Camp Schwab, and from businessmen and politicians around Futenma and Henoko, have occurred.
The legality of the proposed heliport relocation has been questioned as being a violation of International Law, including the World Heritage Convention the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The paper also questions whether the current use of Camp Schwab for amphibious training violates these three conventions.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama announced in May 2010 the MCAS would move to Camp Schwab after all, and not off the island as he promised during the election campaign.
Read more about this topic: Camp Schwab
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