To Everyone Who Has Been to Yokosuka — Take a Stand Now! 2026 — Stop Kengo Kuma’s Destructive Gentrification, End Military Domination, Ban Military Tourism, and Reject Religious Favoritism in Urban Planning

To Everyone Who Has Visited Yokosuka — A Request for Your Support 2026 — Opposing Kengo Kuma Projects, Military Tourism, and Religious Favoritism in Urban Planning

Yokosuka is a rare city in Japan where sea, mountains, history, and everyday culture overlap, and it is only 90 minutes from central Tokyo.

Because you have walked these streets at least once, we ask for your cooperation.

Yokosuka Is Not a Town for the Vested Interests.

1. Oppose the Public Implementation of Kengo Kuma’s Architecture in the Taura District and Yokosuka City

Yokosuka’s charm lies in its landscape itself being the main attraction.

Across Japan, public facilities designed by Kengo Kuma have encountered serious problems:

• Rapid deterioration

• Early decay

• High maintenance costs

• Growing repair burdens

Moreover, repairs are often monopolized by Kuma’s office, creating entanglement with local governments and increasing taxpayer debt per citizen.

Visitors can sense this for themselves. Yokosuka does not need the name of an architect. What it needs are buildings that:

• Blend naturally into the environment over time

• Do not increase tax burdens

• Are robust against nuclear attacks, nuclear accidents, and human-induced disasters

Please express your candid external perspective as a visitor:

• “I do not find it attractive as a tourist destination.”

• “I do not see value in spending public funds on it.”

• “Kuma’s architecture only imposes costs that older and younger generations cannot afford.”

2. Yokosuka Is Not a Town for the U.S. Military

Visitors often perceive Yokosuka as a “base town” or “military port.”

While U.S. military bases have long been part of this city’s reality, they do not benefit tourism. They do not need to remain central to Yokosuka’s urban image, culture, or citizen life.

Most visitors seek:

• Sea and nature

• Quiet streets

• Local, sustainable food and everyday culture

To shift Yokosuka from a military-focused town to a cultural and educational port town centered on daily life, voices of support from outside the city are essential.

Yokosuka Is Not a Town for the JSDFers.

3. Support Not Making JSDF Facilities the “Core Value” of the City

This is not a call to oppose the JSDF’s existence.

However, the JSDF should not be the centerpiece of tourism, redevelopment, or urban branding. From a visitor’s perspective:

• Accommodation value is low

• Military facilities are “just to look at”

• Everyday culture and creativity provide reasons to stay

• Free JSDF events may create temporary impressions but do not reflect reality

Yokosuka should prioritize an urban structure that resonates with both citizens and visitors. Please support a direction toward a “post-military-centered city.”

4. Support Not Placing Shinto Shrines at the Core of Public Policy

Yokosuka is home to residents and visitors of diverse religions, beliefs, and nationalities.

As a tourist city, what matters is neutral and open public space for everyone.

While Shinto culture and shrines should not be dismissed, they should not dominate:

• Public projects

• Urban identity

• Official tourism messaging

Visitors generally feel safer and more welcome in a city that emphasizes everyday life, nature, agriculture, and education rather than religion.

Why the Voice of Visitors Matters

Discussions in Yokosuka often rely only on:

• Internal logic

• Existing vested interests

• Established precedent

That is why an external perspective from someone who has actually walked the streets carries the most weight.

• How did you feel as a visitor?

• What was appealing, and what felt out of place?

• If things were to change, what kind of Yokosuka would make you want to return?

Your voice can influence the city’s future.

How You Can Help

• Submit public comments

• Share your experience on social media

• Support petitions or public surveys

• Provide short opinions from a tourist’s perspective

No specialized knowledge is required. Simply having visited is enough to qualify.

Yokosuka Is Not a Town for the U.S. Military. 

Yokosuka Is Not a Town for the JSDFers.

Yokosuka Is Not a Town for the Vested Interests.

Yokosuka should not become a symbol for anyone. It should be a practical, educational city where people want to engage repeatedly.

Please lend your experience and words.

Below is a list of submission channels for public comments to Yokosuka City, along with contact information for city council members and parties where opinions can be sent.