Okinawa Prefecture marked the 40th anniversary of its reversion to Japanese sovereignty from U.S. control Tuesday amid a remaining heavy U.S. military presence and economic difficulties, with no end in sight to the political deadlock over the planned relocation of the Futenma military base.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima and U.S. Ambassador John Roos attended a ceremony in Ginowan to commemorate the prefecture's return to Japan. The event was attended by an estimated 1,200 people, including Cabinet ministers, the heads of the upper and lower chambers of the Diet as well as the Supreme Court and youth in Okinawa.
During the event cohosted by the central government and Okinawa Prefecture, Noda pledged that Tokyo will not allow U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to remain in its present location in Ginowan and will strive to ease the base-hosting burden on Okinawa.