National Nov 24, 2021
Metal water bottle drops from U.S. military aircraft onto Okinawa residence
The U.S. Marines explained that the 25-centimeter bottle fell from the tilt-rotor transport aircraft when it took off from the Futenma air base.
Commentary / Japan Nov 16, 2020
Remembering the Okinawa rape incident that changed Japan-U.S. military relations
by Robert D. Eldridge
It was twenty-five years ago nearly to the day, following the tragic early September 1995 rape of an Okinawan school girl in Kin Village, Okinawa Prefecture, by three U.S. servicemen — two Marines and a Navy medic — that the Commander-in-Chief U.S. Pacific Command ...
National Apr 11, 2018
Naha District Court sentences U.S. Marine to four years for fatal drunken driving crash in Okinawa
The Naha District Court on Wednesday sentenced a U.S. Marine based in Okinawa to four years in prison for killing a 61-year-old man in a car crash while driving under the influence of alcohol last year. Prosecutors had sought six years for Nicholas James-Mclean, 22, ...
National / Politics Dec 22, 2017
Japan's 'marines' face shortage of amphibious vehicles before March debut
The Defense Ministry said Friday that a delivery of U.S.-made vehicles to equip Japan's new amphibious unit has been delayed just months ahead of its debut. The new Ground Self-Defense Force unit, modeled after the U.S. Marine Corps, was expecting 30 AAV-7 amphibious vehicles from ...
National Oct 12, 2016
South Korea's Marine Corps Command plans to station a combat unit on the eastern island of Ulleung from 2018 in a bid to help deal with North Korea's military threats, the military command said in a report to parliament on Tuesday. The plan appears to ...
World / Crime & Legal Jan 13, 2016
'El Chapo' tried to trademark name, sought biopic, was briefly in marine's sights after Penn meeting
Before his brazen jailbreak last year, notorious drug boss Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman instructed his lawyers to trademark his name, giving Mexican authorities their first clue he wanted to make a film of his life, local media said on Tuesday. The world's most wanted drug kingpin, ...
World / Social Issues Dec 4, 2015
All U.S. military combat roles to be open to women, Pentagon announces
Women will be allowed in all combat positions throughout the U.S. military, ending decades of exclusion from front-line jobs, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced Thursday. "To succeed in our mission of national defense, we cannot afford to cut ourselves off from half the country's talents ...
National Jun 4, 2015
Futenma replacement base 'fundamental' to security, U.S. officials tell Okinawa governor
U.S. officials told the governor of Okinawa on Wednesday that a U.S. forces presence in his prefecture is key to the U.S. commitment to defend Japan. Officials from the U.S. State and Defense Departments told Takeshi Onaga in a meeting in Washington that the United ...
National Dec 4, 2014
U.S. Congress to approve funding for partial Marines departure to Guam
Congress decides to clear funding for the transfer of thousands of marines from Okinawa to Guam, allowing the U.S. military to shrink its giant footprint there.
National Aug 13, 2014
U.S. wanted impact assessment for inland area at Futenma transfer site
American military officials wanted Japan to conduct an environmental impact assessment on an inland area in Okinawa Prefecture where a controversial U.S. base was being planned without public disclosure.
World Apr 12, 2014
If China grabs Senkakus, U.S. military would snatch them back: top marine commander
If China invaded the Japan-held Senkaku Islands, U.S. Marines in the Pacific would swiftly recapture them, the commander of marines deployed in Japan assured. "It's a very, very small collection of small islands," the U.S. military newspaper Stars and Stripes quoted Lt. Gen. John Wissler ...
National Aug 21, 2013
Abe urges McCain to budget for U.S. Marine forces shift to Guam
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe asked U.S. Sen. John McCain on Wednesday to ensure Washington allocates budgetary funds to help cover the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps personnel to Guam from Okinawa, as agreed upon by the two countries. At a separate meeting in Tokyo, Defense ...