Japan's Nago starts mayor campaign, affecting US base

Candidates started their official campaign on Sunday to compete for the mayor of Nago, an election which may affect the relocation of a U.S. military base in Okinawa. It will be a race between Susumu Inamine, the 68-year-old incumbent who is seeking a second four-year term, and Bunshin Suematsu, a 65-year-old former Okinawa prefectural assembly member. Inamine has been opposed to relocating the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station from a crowded residential area in Ginowan to a coastal area in less densely populated Nago, despite an agreement between the Japanese and U.S. governments in 2006, while Suematsu supports the relocation. The relocation plan was approved by Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima late last month, but the prefectural assembly recently demanded resignation of the governor due to his approval. The election will be held on Jan. 19.