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NAHA, Okinawa Pref. (Kyodo) Hopes in Okinawa that U.S. military bases will eventually be closed down suffered a severe blow in early February when the commander of Kadena Air Base in central Okinawa Island said the base will be needed for up to 50 more years.
Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Remington said the base, the largest U.S. base in East Asia, plays an especially important strategic role in the Pacific.