Okinawa protesters mark a year since landfill work began for Futenma relocation plan
A protest took place in Okinawan waters Saturday near the planned new home of a contentious U.S. airbase in the prefecture, marking a year since full-blown landfill work began. "We'll never give up, let's keep going," the protesters yelled in chorus while paddling some 30 ...
With a population under a dozen, Okinawa dugongs labeled 'critically endangered' by IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has updated its Red List of Threatened Species, moving the dugong that dwell in waters off Okinawa Prefecture to the critically endangered category and putting it a step away from extinction. The organization warned that the number of ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
