More than 1,000 SF State students and faculty members have signed a petition opposing the construction of a U.S. military base in Henoko, Okinawa.

Located on the east side of the main island of Okinawa, Henoko is a rural site that locals and environmentalists have strived to preserve. It is home to coral reef, and the endangered sea mammal the dugong.

The United States and Japanese governments have been negotiatimg a realignment of U.S. military bases in Okinawa for the last deacade due to controversies involving U.S. military presence. In 1996, both governments proposed to close Futenma air base and build a new heliport in Henoko.

In opposition to the new heliport, Takuro Akamine, a graduate student studying public administration, and Wesley Ueunten, an Asian American studies lecturer, formed a petition drive at SF State. The Asian Student Union, the Pilipino American Collegiate Endeavor and numerous volunteers also helped collect signatures.

“We found a lot of students were interested in signing the petition,” said Ueunten, a third generation of Okinawan descent, born in Hawaii. “Many students spontaneously helped us and gathered signatures from the crowd.”

Akamine and Ueunten formed the Okinawa PeaceFighters in June with two other Bay Area individuals of Okinawan heritage to stop further construction of the base in Henoko, and reduce U.S. military bases in Okinawa.

“Okinawans’ voices need to be heard by the world,” said Akamine. “More than 80 percent of the residents in Okinawa voted no to the construction of the heliport. Like many other countries in Asia, we have no self-determination on our island.”

The Okinawa PeaceFighters are closing their petition on Sept. 30 and plan to submit the signatures to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Japan Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura and the Japan Minister of State for Defense Yoshinori Ohno.