Matt Schley
May 11, 2015 
Hayao Miyazaki, director of films like Spirited Away and The Wind Rises, has never shied away from sharing his political views, and this week’s move by the recently-retired filmmaker is no exception.
Miyazaki has joined the leadership of a fund that opposes the relocation of the Futenma U.S. military base in Okinawa to Henoko, a political battle that’s been raging in Okinawa for decades.
Okinawa has hosted the bulk of the U.S. military presence in Japan since the end of World War II, and 85% of Okinawans oppose the presence of the U.S. military. The fund aims to remove the Futenma base from Okinawa altogether.
“It is necessary for peace in East Asia to demilitarize Okinawa,” Miyazaki wrote.
In his Academy Award acceptance speech last year, Miyazaki said that he was proud that Japan had not been to war in the 50 years during which he made films, alluding to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s move to ease restrictions of Japanese military use.
Source: Japan Times
For a primer on the Futenma controversy, check out this article.
Related Stories:
– Hayao Miyazaki Shares Political Views In Interview
– Hayao Miyazaki Helps Clean Up Totoro Forest
– Miyazaki Describes the Type of Otaku He Hates Most
– Miyazaki Blames Otaku Animators for Anime Decline
– Beat Takeshi: “I Hate Anime, Especially Miyazaki”
Related Posts
