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普天間基地の移転先
普天間基地移転先に辺野古が取り沙汰されているが、それより、広い土地があり、環境破壊の心配のないディズニーランドの駐車場はどうだろうか。
Why not Camp Disney?
This essay is addressed to those readers who support the Japan-U.S. Mutual Security Treaty, (AMPO). If you positively support this treaty, or if you've never done anything in particular to oppose it, then I'm talking to you.
Here in Okinawa, smack in the middle of crowded city of Ginowan, there is a big U.S. Marine Corps facility called Futenma Airbase. Huge C130 transport planes and giant helicopters fly in and out of it daily, rattling windows below. Everybody knows that it's crazy to have an airbase there, and that it has to be moved. Recently some 18,000 protesters gathered outside the base and joined hands to completely encircle it. Even U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has said that it has to go.
The question is, go where?
The U.S. and Japanese governments want to move it to northern Okinawa, near a village called Henoko. They want to fill in part of a beautiful bay with dirt, destroying the coral which is the habitat for the rare dugong and other sea life, build a big heliport (all paid for with Japanese taxpayers' money) and present it to the U.S. Marines.
Unsurprisingly, Okinawans who want the base out of Okinawa altogether, and environmentalists who don't want the sea to be further destroyed, are opposed to this. A sit-in was held at Henoko to prevent construction from beginning.
Where, then, should the Futenma base go?
As an American, I think it should go back to the United States. There's plenty of space in Texas, for example, or in the desert areas of Nevada or Montana.
But you, as a supporter of AMPO, think it should be in Japan (that's what "supporting AMPO" means). If you really believe U.S. bases are vital to Japan's security, shouldn't you be willing to put one near your home, rather than forcing them on the Okinawans?
Let us suppose you live in the Kanto area (as I suspect many Shukan ST readers do). Where would be a good place to relocate the Futenma base? My first thought was, why not Tokyo Disneyland? As Japanese politics becomes increasingly militaristic, we often hear politicians saying that citizens should be willing to sacrifice their lives for their country. If you are willing to sacrifice your life, shouldn't you also be willing to sacrifice Tokyo Disneyland? And certainly tearing down Disneyland would be better than destroying the irreplaceable coral reef off Henoko.
But then it was pointed out to me, that's too mean to the children. OK, we won't tear down Disneyland. Then where? I'm sure there are golf courses that are big enough. And there are those theme parks that are going bankrupt anyway.
While I was thinking these thoughts, a photograph appeared in the paper showing Tokyo Disneyland and the huge parking lot next to it. I thought, that's it! There's no need to knock down Disneyland itself; the parking lot is surely big enough. That would be no great sacrifice. You could still get to Disneyland by train, bus or taxi - a minor inconvenience. And when the planes and helicopters come roaring in and out, that shouldn't bother anyone. You can tell your children that it's all part of the new show at Camp Disney.
Shukan ST: June 18, 2004
(C) All rights reserved
- Why not 〜 ?
- 〜はどうだ?
- Camp
- 軍の駐屯地
- is addressed to 〜
- 〜に向けたものだ
- Japan-U.S. Mutual Security Treaty
- 日米安全保障条約
- positively
- 積極的に
- oppose
- 反対する
- smack in the middle of 〜
- 〜の中心に
- U.S. Marinew Corps
- 米海兵隊
- facility
- 施設
- Huge
- 巨大な
- transport planes
- 輸送機
- fly in and out of it
- そこで離着陸する
- rattling windows below
- 地上の建物の窓ガラスを震わせて
- some
- およそ
- joined hands
- 手をつないだ
- encircle 〜
- 〜を取り囲む
- Secretary of Defense
- 国防長官
- has to go
- 移転しなければならない
- fill in 〜 with 〜
- 〜を〜で埋める
- coral
- サンゴ
- habitat
- 生息地
- dugong
- ジュゴン
- Unsurprisingly
- 当然のことながら
- environmentalists
- 環境保護論者
- are opposed to 〜
- 〜に反対だ
- sit-in
- 座り込みのデモ
- prevent construction
- 建設開始を阻止する
- (is)plenty of 〜
- 〜がたくさんある
- desert areas
- 砂漠地帯
- vital
- 重要な
- shouldn't you be willing to 〜
- 〜することを嫌がるべきではないのではないか
- rather than forcing them on the Okinawans
- 沖縄の人たちに押し付けるのではなく
- relocate 〜
- 〜を移転する
- militaristic
- 軍国主義的な
- sacrifice their lives
- 生活を犠牲にする
- tearing down 〜
- 〜を取り壊す
- irreplaceable
- かけがえのない
- coral reef
- サンゴ礁
- mean
- 不親切な
- theme parks
- テーマパーク
- are going bankrupt anyway
- どうせいずれ破たんする
- paper
- 新聞
- parking lot
- 駐車場
- next to 〜
- 〜の隣に
- that's it!
- これだ!
- could still get to 〜
- それでも〜へ行くことができる
- minor inconvenience
- 少しの不便
- come roaring in and out
- ごう音を立てて行き来する