Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
National Oct 1, 2013
Japan, U.S. to promote transfer of Osprey training away from Okinawa
Tokyo and Washington are set to unveil Thursday a string of measures aimed at mitigating the impact of U.S. forces on Okinawa, including promoting the transfer of Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey training flights outside of Okinawa or abroad, sources close to bilateral ties said ...
National Sep 30, 2013
Japan, U.S. to OK deal on transfer of marines
Japan and the United States plan to give the go-ahead at a high-level meeting this week to revise the bilateral accord on realigning U.S. Marine Corps personnel in Okinawa, as well as defense cooperation guidelines in response to China’s military buildup. The planned revision ...
National Sep 21, 2013
U.S. Futenma base relocation hits new stumbling block: dugongs
Dugongs, an endangered marine species, in 2012 were inhabiting the reclamation site in Okinawa chosen for the relocation of the U.S. Futenma base, the first time their presence has been confirmed there in three years, a survey by the Okinawa Defense Bureau revealed Saturday. ...
Politics & Diplomacy Sep 17, 2013
Okinawa Ospreys can be sent to islets claimed by China: U.S. general
The commanding general of the U.S. Marines in Okinawa tells Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima that MV-22 Osprey aircraft stationed at the Futenma air station could be dispatched to the disputed Senkaku Islands if needed.
Politics & Diplomacy Sep 10, 2013
Ex-U.S. official in Okinawa tapped for NSC
The White House will name Raymond Green, former U.S. consul general in Okinawa Prefecture, as the next director for Japan affairs at the U.S. National Security Council, sources said. Green is currently director of the economic policy office at the U.S. Department of State’s ...
National Sep 5, 2013
U.S. killed '71 plan for Senkaku Islands weather station
Japan canceled a plan to set up a weather station on the Senkaku Islands in 1971, apparently under U.S. pressure as the two sides negotiated the 1972 return of Okinawa to Japan, declassified U.S. diplomatic documents show.
Politics & Diplomacy Aug 31, 2013
14% funds boost eyed to sway Okinawa
The Cabinet Office is seeking ¥340.8 billion in the fiscal 2014 budget to promote economic development in Okinawa Prefecture, hoping it will help persuade the prefecture’s leaders to sign off on the plan to move the U.S. Futenma air base to a less populated ...
Editorial Aug 26, 2013
Poisoned mongooses in Okinawa
Japanese researchers have detected high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in mongooses found near two U.S. military bases in Okinawa.
Voices | HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO Aug 26, 2013
Denials of defoliant at former U.S. base site in Okinawa fly in the face of science
The inescapable fact is that the U.S. military, on Kadena Air Base, disposed of materials in drums containing 2,4,5-T , a wartime defoliant, and TCDD, the most toxic component of the dioxin family, known to be associated with the manufacture of such herbicides.
National Aug 26, 2013
U.S. chopper crash report requested
Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera and U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh agreed Monday that the U.S. military should release its accident report on a fatal helicopter crash in Okinawa as soon as it has been compiled. “The people of Okinawa remain ...
National Aug 21, 2013
Abe urges McCain to budget for U.S. Marine forces shift to Guam
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe asked U.S. Sen. John McCain on Wednesday to ensure Washington allocates budgetary funds to help cover the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps personnel to Guam from Okinawa, as agreed upon by the two countries. At a separate meeting in Tokyo, ...
National Aug 21, 2013
Oliver Stone warmed to Okinawans, fired up base foes
by Jon Mitchell
On Aug. 13, a dozen anti-base demonstrators scuffled with police outside the gates of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, Okinawa, as marines watched from behind the fence cracking jokes and laughing. Such scenes occur daily in Okinawa, which is saddled with ...