A referendum was held in
Okinawa Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city o ...
on 8 September 1996 about the presence of
United States Forces Japan bases in the prefecture. The referendum asked: "How do you feel about reviewing the Japan-United States Status of Forces Agreement and reducing the American bases in our prefecture?" The wording of the referendum was criticised for being unclear; a telephone survey conducted by the
Ryūkyū Shimpō
The was the first Okinawan newspaper."Ryūkyū Shimpō." ''Okinawa konpakuto jiten'' (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia")Ryukyu Shimpo(琉球新報). 1 March 2003. Accessed 6 September 2009. It was founded in 1893 by S ...
found that people were confused as to whether it called for the complete removal of US bases or just for a reduction in their number.
With a turnout of 59.52% (9% lower than that seen in the recent assembly elections), 89% of voters, representing 53% of the electorate, agreed with reviewing the Japan-United States Status of Forces Agreement and reducing the American bases in the prefecture.
, including the
rape and beating of a 12 year old girl by three soldiers the previous year were seen as contributing to the strong opposition to the base. Support for the bases and thus for a "no" vote on the referendum came from a variety of sources; the local
LDP, workers on US bases (at least 200 of which formed a breakaway union in protest of the main base worker union's support for the referendum), landowners of land owned by the US military, and local business owners who were reliant on income from American soldiers.
Following the referendum the
Governor of Okinawa Masahide Ota
Masahide (written: 正秀, 正英, 昌秀, 政秀, 政英 or 雅英) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
*, Japanese samurai
*, Japanese sprinter
*, Japanese diplomat
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanese basebal ...
said that the results of the referendum should be clear to "those in the U.S. Congress who still feel like they own Okinawa."
Despite the victory of those opposed to the bases in the referendum, Governor Ota allowed the expansion of the base to continue after the
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
ruled the central government had authority.
References
{{Elections in Okinawa Prefecture
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
Okinawan referendum
Okinawan referendum
Referendums in Japan
Elections in Okinawa Prefecture