National Sep 29, 2019
Diverting cash to Trump's border wall may disrupt plans to move U.S. Marines from Japan to Guam
About 7 percent of the funds for the $3.6 billion wall are being diverted from eight projects in the U.S. territory.
National / Politics Sep 5, 2019
Former PM Hatoyama regrets reneging on pledge to move Futenma airbase out of Okinawa
Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama says it was a "big mistake" to abandon his pledge to move U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma out of Okinawa. Hatoyama became prime minister in September 2009, after the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan scored a landslide victory in ...
National Aug 30, 2019
Another window from U.S. military helicopter falls off, this time into sea off Okinawa
A local bureau of the Defense Ministry reported to the Okinawa Prefectural Government on Thursday that a window of a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter detached from the aircraft and fell into the sea. The part from the CH-53E large transport helicopter stationed at the U.S. ...
National Aug 14, 2019
University president seeks closure of U.S. base 15 years after helicopter crash on campus
Staff and students called for the closure of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on Tuesday, as they gathered to mark 15 years since a military helicopter from the base crashed on the campus at Okinawa International University. Both the Futenma base and the university ...
National Aug 7, 2019
Okinawa files another lawsuit over landfill work for U.S. base
The Okinawa government on Wednesday filed another lawsuit against the central government to halt ongoing landfill work for the relocation of a U.S. air base within the prefecture. In the lawsuit filed with the Naha District Court, Okinawa challenged the legality of land minister Keiichi ...
National / Crime & Legal Jul 17, 2019
The Okinawa Prefectural Government on Wednesday filed another lawsuit against the central government as it seeks to halt the ongoing landfill work for the relocation of a U.S. air base within the prefecture. In the lawsuit filed with the Naha branch of the Fukuoka High ...
National Jun 23, 2019
Okinawa mourns victims on 74th anniversary of end to one of WWII's most bloody battles
Okinawa on Sunday marked the 74th year since the end of the major World War II ground battle that claimed the lives of more than 200,000 local residents, as well as Japanese and American military personnel. The annual memorial service was held in the Peace ...
National Jun 5, 2019
Rubber protective tape falls from helicopter onto school grounds in Okinawa, say U.S. Marines
The U.S. Marines in Okinawa said Wednesday that a piece of rubber protective tape attached to a wing blade of a U.S. military helicopter fell onto the grounds of a junior high school in Okinawa the previous day. It was the latest incident involving a ...
National May 17, 2019
As Okinawa marks 47 years since reversion to Japan, protesters call for reduced U.S. base burden
Protesters marched in Okinawa on Friday calling for a reduction in the burden faced by the prefecture that hosts the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan. Okinawa this week marked the 47th anniversary of its reversion to Japan from U.S. control amid ongoing controversy ...
National / Politics Apr 9, 2019
LDP battling pro-merger and anti-base headwinds in Osaka and Okinawa by-election campaigns
Official campaigning began Tuesday for key Lower House by-elections in Osaka and Okinawa prefectures in what is seen as a prelude to the Upper House election this summer. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party is competing with opposition candidates seeking to streamline administrations ...
National Apr 5, 2019
Japan's land minister voids Okinawa's move to halt construction of U.S. base at Henoko
Land minister Keiichi Ishii said Friday that he has decided to nullify a move by the Okinawa Prefectural Government aimed at halting reclamation work for a planned U.S. base off the Henoko district in Nago. Last August, the prefectural government canceled the landfill approval made ...
National / Politics Mar 25, 2019
Land reclamation in Okinawa enters next stage at Henoko relocation site for U.S. Futenma base
The government began to perform the next stage of land reclamation work in Okinawa Prefecture on Monday, as part of a project to build a replacement facility for a contentious U.S. air base in the prefecture despite local opposition. The work to pour soil and ...