November 27, 2009
U.S. President Barack Obama
The Association of Iwakuni Citizens
(Chairman : Hisao Okada)

A request for a review of the Realignment of U.S. Forces in Japan

A wide range of Iwakuni citizens gathered and held “the citizen meeting thinking
about the Realignment of U.S. Forces in Japan” November 2. The three Diet members
from Okinawa and Kanagawa prefectures participated, too.
This meeting objects to the planned move of the aircraft carrier USS George
Washington’s air wing from Naval Air Facility Atsugi to Iwakuni in connection with an
Okinawa meeting of November 8 ahead of a U.S. President Obama visit to Japan. It is
the thing for the purpose of demanding a review of the Realignment of U.S. Forces in
Japan.
The Iwakuni citizen objected to the move of the carrier air wing from Atsugi to
Iwakuni definitely in the referendum three years ago, and also afterwards in the
elections in Iwakuni.

The offing transference of a runway performed for the purpose of security and relief is made the reason of the move of the carrier air wing, and houses for U.S. Forces and
their families are going to be built newly in the ruins of a very large housing estate
Atagoyama.
The Iwakuni citizen filed 4 suits against the realignment plan pushed forward in
defiance of civic intention forcibly.
It is assumed that the coalition government led by the Democratic Party “reviews the
Realignment of U.S. Forces in Japan and the U.S. bases in Japan”, and we support
this.
We strengthen exercise and cooperation of each place where people are against the
realignment plan. And we request the U.S. Government for next.
1. Withdraw the move of carrier air wing to Iwakuni.
2. Do not make Atagoyama ruins the housing estate for U. S. Forces.
3. Cancel the reopening of the civil airport in the Iwakuni base.
（Translated into English by Katsusuke Ihara）