The proximity of Okinawa Prefecture's Igei Ward in the town of Kin to a U.S. Marine Corps live shooting range puts residents at constant risk of stray bullets and other munitions landing on private property, ripping through roofs or even injuring civilians.

In the latest of a string of incidents, three flares attached to white parachutes were found in the neighborhood between Dec. 5 and 6 — one in a rice paddy near a residential area, another tangled in the branches of a tree and the third lying in the street. The U.S. military has admitted they were fired during an exercise held at Camp Hansen.

"Three flares were found in our neighborhood. ... That is scary," said 40-year-old local farmer Hisashi Uezu.