Takamatsu Gushiken, who has been involved in recovering the remains of the war dead, points to cleared land where they may have been buried in Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture, on Nov. 26. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
As chief Cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga was in charge of easing Okinawa Prefecture’s disproportionate burden of hosting U.S. bases in Japan.
His pet phrase on file has been that he would be considerate of residents’ feelings.
Still, the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which Suga underpinned as the most senior government spokesman, pushed for the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma within the prefecture--even though Okinawans have adamantly opposed the central government’s project.