NEWSWORTHY
Namie Amuro fans flock to tribute events as Japanese diva says farewell to show business
On Sunday fans across the country flocked to events paying tribute to pop diva Namie Amuro, marking the day she will step out of the spotlight. In her home prefecture of Okinawa, thousands of fans gathered in Ginowan to attend events commemorating the end of ...
Pop star Namie Amuro bows out with final performance in Okinawa
Pop star Namie Amuro delivered her final stage performance Sunday as fans from Japan and elsewhere in Asia flocked to Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, to bid her farewell. Amuro — who has achieved milestones in Japan's pop music scene since the 1990s as a singer, dancer ...
Voters in 25 Okinawan cities, towns and villages went to the polls Sunday in key local municipal assembly elections ahead of the Sept. 30 gubernatorial election. In Nago, whether to oppose or agree to the construction of a replacement facility for the U.S. Marine Corps ...
Metal window frame from U.S. military helicopter falls on elementary school grounds in Okinawa
A metal window frame fell off a U.S. military transport helicopter and onto the grounds of an elementary school in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, on Wednesday, triggering renewed anger and concerns in the municipality where a key U.S. air base is located. A student was slightly ...
Ginowan residents lose suit against block on transfer of Futenma base
A district court in Okinawa Prefecture dismissed on Tuesday a lawsuit filed by citizens of Ginowan, current host of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, against Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga's decision to block the base's relocation within the prefecture. In the suit filed with the ...
Henoko protesters begin three days of marches in Okinawa to mark anniversary
Protesters in Okinawa marched on Friday, calling for a halt to the controversial construction of a new U.S. military facility. Sunday marks the 44th anniversary of the prefecture's reversion from American control. Around 700 people, including representatives of civil groups and labor unions, gathered on ...
Okinawa protesters call for return of Futenma 20 years after pact was reached
About 200 people in Okinawa rallied Sunday to push for the early return of land occupied by the Futenma military base ahead of the 20th anniversary of the bilateral accord on returning it to Japanese control. The protesters gathered near U.S. Marine Corps Air Station ...
Ginowan mayor wants to lobby for base closure in Washington
Ginowan Mayor Atsushi Sakima hopes to visit Washington D.C. as early as April to press his case for closing U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma as early as possible. Sakima won re-election last month with the support of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Details of the visit, ...
Ginowan mayoral victory gives Abe much-needed ammunition in Futenma battle
Top government officials in Tokyo welcome the victory by the ruling bloc-backed candidate in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture's mayoral election, saying it will give momentum to the Futenma base relocation.
In proxy battle over Futenma base relocation, Ginowan mayor wins re-election
In what was seen as a proxy battle over the controversial Futenma U.S. base relocation plan, Ginowan Mayor Sakima wins re-election.
Base rivals face off in pivotal Ginowan mayoral election
Voters in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, cast their ballots for a new mayor in a key local election with implications for the relocation of a contentious U.S. military base.
Mayoral candidates in Okinawa face off over U.S. base
Less than two weeks remain until a local election that may influence both the planned relocation of the Futenma military base and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's effort to secure a two-thirds majority in this summer's Upper House election. The Jan. 24 mayoral election in Ginowan, ...
