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July 08, 2025
 

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Jon Mitchell

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Jon Mitchell
Jon Mitchell writes about human rights issues on Okinawa. In 2015, he received the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan Freedom of the Press Award for Lifetime Achievement for his investigations into U.S. military contamination on Okinawa and other base-related problems.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2018
Leader of U.S. Marines on Okinawa failed to report officer's offenses, report reveals
The U.S. military justice system has faced criticism for allowing base commanders to decide whether to pursue charges against service members accused of serious crimes.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jun 21, 2017
U.S. military under fire for gun safety breaches on Okinawa
A series of incidents over the past few years have raised concerns the U.S. military on Okinawa is failing to securely manage its weapons in the prefecture.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jun 10, 2017
Okinawa 'prisoner of conscience' to address U.N. about perceived abuses
Hiroji Yamashiro recounts six harsh months of POW-like detention he survived after being singled out for simple acts of civil disobedience recently in Okinawa.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 6, 2017
'Press Freedom in Contemporary Japan': Persuasive and important but incomplete
May 3 marks the United Nations' World Press Freedom Day, an annual reminder of the necessity of unfettered media in the maintenance of healthy societies.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Feb 22, 2017
Pedophile sting ops roil U.S. forces on Okinawa
Controversial operations in which sailors pose online as underage girls lead to dozens of NCIS arrests.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Feb 1, 2017
Confusion reigns in U.S. Forces Japan's battle against drunken driving
Mixed messages and double standards regarding alcohol limits and penalties may be exacerbating the problem of DUI offenses committed off-base.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2017
U.S. report reveals cover-up of Osprey mishap in 2014
Details in a report recently obtained via the U.S. Freedom of Information Act suggest the U.S. Marine Corps misled the public about an incident involving an Osprey aircraft in 2014.
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2016
Contamination: Documents reveal hundreds of unreported environmental accidents at three U.S. Marine Corps bases on Okinawa
Since 2002, at least 270 environmental accidents on U.S. Marine Corps bases on Okinawa have contaminated land and local waterways but, until now, few of these incidents have been made public. Internal reports highlight serious flaws in training and suggest the lessons of past accidents have not been...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2016
Informed-Public Project seeks environmental justice on Okinawa
A recently founded organization on Okinawa is attempting to hold to account the powers-that-be for the damage that military contamination is causing the island's environment.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Oct 22, 2016
Welcome home, Okinawa
Under the slogan "Let the whole world move to the Uchina beat," Okinawa will host the prefecture's largest international event, the sixth Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival from Thursday, Oct. 27, to Sunday, Oct. 30. (Uchina means Okinawa in the island's language, while Uchinanchu means an Okinawan person)....
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Oct 19, 2016
How the U.S. military spies on Okinawans and me
Documents reveal that the U.S. Marine Corps is amassing information on Okinawan anti-base protesters as well as journalists.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Aug 31, 2016
U.S. washes hands of rights violations at Okinawa helipad site
Washington and the Pentagon sidestep issues of injuries to protesters and censorship as police blanket the village of Takae.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2016
Roads blocked, press barred as tempers flare over landing pads in Okinawa
Public anger is rising on Okinawa at a proposed site for new U.S. military landing pads, with residents and reporters criticizing what they say are heavy-handed tactics by the Japanese authorities to push the project through.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Aug 10, 2016
Training of British troops on Okinawa bases may violate Japan-U.S. Security Treaty
The U.K. government reveals that two Royal Marines have been deployed to U.S. bases in the island prefecture.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 11, 2016
The peacemakers of Okinawa
Sixty years ago this week, the U.S. government released the controversial Price Report, triggering mass protests on Okinawa that gave birth to leaders who, while renowned in the prefecture, remain little known outside it
JAPAN
May 28, 2016
U.S. to review Okinawa training procedures after report reveals sessions downplayed military crimes, disparaged locals
The top U.S. Marine general in Japan said orientation sessions for new recruits will be reviewed after it was found they contained derogatory statements about Okinawans.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
May 25, 2016
U.S. Marines briefing links crimes to 'gaijin power'; for Okinawans, 'it pays to complain'
Internal U.S. Marine Corps documents reveal that lectures supposed to improve marines' understanding of Okinawa instead downplay military crimes and disparage local residents.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Apr 27, 2016
Agent Orange and Okinawa: the story so far
Five years after The Japan Times first revealed the U.S. military's use of toxic defoliants on the island, new evidence continues to come to light.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2016
Contamination: The human cost of dioxin, PCBs and pollution at Kadena Air Base
Documents recently obtained under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act highlight the American base's struggles to manage hazardous waste.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2016
Contamination: Kadena Air Base's dirty secret
For the first time, documents released under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act reveal extensive pollution on an active American base in Japan.
Heatstroke alert issued for 19 prefectures as Japan enters 'once-in-a-decade' heat wave
Japan will experience a heat wave through mid-July on a “level only seen once in a decade,” the Meteorological Agency said on June 30.
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Foreign nationals' presence in Japan emerges as key issue in Upper House poll
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a campaign speech next to a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the Upper House (top center left) in Yokohama on Sunday.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
China’s housing crisis is worse than it seems
Residential buildings under construction in Shanghai in July 2022. The Chinese government risks long-term decline by repeating Japan’s policy mistakes in handling its real estate and demographic crises.
Lawson to let visitors use larger parking lots as paid car campsites
A Lawson convenience store in Yachiyo, Chiba Prefecture. A new service from the company comes amid the rise in inbound tourists, making hotels and inns harder to book and more expensive.
The future is bright inside the visionary mind of architect Sou Fujimoto
The exhibition of Fujimoto’s architecture surveys his career to date, as well as looks ahead as shown in his proposal of a future floating city designed in collaboration with data scientist Hiroaki Miyata.
A tiny mountain hamlet keeps traditional log rafting afloat
Once a way to transport lumber from the mountains to the coast, log rafting is now Kitayama's biggest attraction.
A furever friend: Tips for responsible dog ownership in Japan
Dog ownership may seem daunting in Japan, but with the right tools and logistical knowledge, you can ensure a healthy, happy life for your pet.
Ainu land rights in crosshairs as Hokkaido communities debate nuclear waste
A street in Suttsu, Hokkaido, with a sign put up by an anti-nuclear organization. The small community is considering hosting a facility that would hold nuclear waste.

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