Twenty-nine international scholars, peace activists, writers, artists and a Nobel laureate have issued a formal statement condemning the decision to relocate the Futenma military base to Henoko in northern Okinawa Island and comparing opposition to the move with America's civil rights movement.
Noted linguist and writer Noam Chomsky, Academy Award-winning filmmakers Oliver Stone and Michael Moore, Nobel Peace laureate Mairead Maguire, author and journalist Naomi Klein, and U.N. Special Rapporteur for Palestine Richard Falk are among those calling for an international campaign to support Okinawans in their opposition to the new base.
They are joined by John Dower, a professor emeritus of history at Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Herbert Bix, a professor emeritus of history and sociology at State University of New York at Binghamton; and Gavan McCormack, a professor emeritus at Australian National University; as well as other noted Japan scholars.