Tag - okinawa

 
 

OKINAWA

The U.S. Air Force's Kadena Air Base in Kadena, Okinawa Prefecture. Brennon Washington, who was stationed at the base, was handed a five-year prison sentence over the kidnap and sexual assault of a girl under the age of consent.
JAPAN
Sep 10, 2025
Five-year term upheld for U.S. airman over Okinawa sexual assault
A judge rejected the defense's appeal and upheld the Naha District Court's ruling in the trial of 26-year-old Brennon Washington.
U.S. military personnel join Japanese officials and residents for a one-off joint nighttime patrol on the streets of the city of Okinawa in April, following sexual assault cases involving U.S. service members.
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2025
Pentagon begins probe of crimes involving U.S. troops in Japan
The review will "examine the performance, training and criminal history of service members who committed violent crimes against Japanese nationals," according to a Pentagon memo.
Members of the Ground Self-Defense Force and the U.S. Marine Corps conduct a joint military drill on Irisuna Island in Okinawa Prefecture in November 2023.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2025
U.S. deploys cutting-edge missile system in Okinawa
Mounted on an unmanned vehicle, the remote-control missile system can swiftly be positioned along the coastline to attack enemy ships.
A U.S. military aircraft takes off from the Kadena U.S. Air Force Base on the island of Okinawa in August 2023.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2025
Seoul punishes 10 over unauthorized entry into Japan's ADIZ
Due to bad weather, the aircraft consumed more fuel than planned. It made an emergency landing at the U.S. Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture.
Members of the Ground Self-Defense Force take part in an exercise at Camp Naha in Okinawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2025
Pacifist Japan struggles to boost troops as China anxiety grows
In 2023, the Self-Defense Forces aimed to hire almost 20,000 people, but recruited just half that number, according to the Defense Ministry.
An Okinawan stir-fry, "sōmen champurū" is your answer to a quick and easy lunch.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Aug 31, 2025
A fuss-free Okinawan stir-fry to boost your energy in the heat
While they are usually eaten cold this season, thin “sōmen” noodles offer a delicious, savory alternative when fried with a pork and vegetable mixture.
Kunitake Toriya, a former corporal in the Imperial Japanese Army who had trained for a suicide attack mission, speaks about his wartime experiences in front of the photographs of his comrades at Tachiarai Peace Memorial Museum in Chikuzen, Fukuoka Prefecture, in June.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2025
Destined for death, former kamikaze pilot recalls wanting to live
Kunitake Toriya yelled "Banzai" in his heart when his suicide mission was called off. Now, 80 years on, he is determined to share his story.
The Ground Self-Defense Force's Camp Yonaguni in Yonaguni, Okinawa Prefecture
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 25, 2025
Okinawa town elects independent mayor cautious about defense expansion
Independent candidate Tsuneo Uechi has been elected mayor of the town of Yonaguni, Okinawa Prefecture, a result that could influence the central government's defense policy.
Members of the student club Neo at Shuri High School receive words of gratitude from Haebaru Junior High School students after their workshop on June 6. They are Mei Nakazato (far left), Nanoka Hirata (second left), Yuzuyu Oyakawa (center), Hinano Yagi (second right) and Honomi Taira.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Aug 25, 2025
Okinawa high school students bring new approach to peace education
A high school group that held a workshop for junior high school students aims to bring a new approach to peace education by turning “passive learning” into something more personal.
Takemasa Kinjo, who was a high school student when his mother was killed by a U.S. Marine in 1974, looks on at the construction site of the new Henoko military base for U.S. forces near his residence in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, in June.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Aug 25, 2025
Decades after WWII, Okinawa is a reluctant host for U.S. troops
A string of incidents over the years involving American troops and base personnel, including sexual assault cases, have angered residents.
Okinawa Shogaku High School players celebrate after clinching the National High School Baseball Championship on Saturday at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture.
BASEBALL
Aug 24, 2025
Naha celebrates as Okinawa Shogaku clinches first Summer Koshien title
Having already claimed the spring invitational tournament on two occasions, the victory was the first summer championship for a team representing Okinawa since 2010.
At the memorial ceremony for the sinking of the Tsushima Maru evacuation ship, attendees observe a moment of silence in honor of the victims, in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture on Friday.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2025
Victims of 1944 U.S. torpedo attack remembered in Japan
At least 1,484 of some 1,800 people aboard the Tsushima Maru, including 784 schoolchildren, lost their lives.
Smoke rises from the US Navy vessel USS New Orleans as water is sprayed to help put out the fire, near the White Beach Naval Facility in Okinawa on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 21, 2025
Fire on U.S. Navy ship off Japan put out after burning for 12 hours
Two U.S. sailors were treated for minor injuries from the fire on the USS New Orleans, anchored near Okinawa, the U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement.
The U.S. military's Marine Air Defense Integrated System is expected to be deployed in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Aug 21, 2025
New air defense system to be used in upcoming U.S.-Japan drill
The U.S. military's Marine Air Defense Integrated System is expected to be deployed in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture.
Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto (left) and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Walter Mondale during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo in April 1996 announcing the decision to return to Japan the site for the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air station in Okinawa Prefecture
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 17, 2025
Okinawa’s backers in LDP dwindle, prompting concern
At present, not many lawmakers are putting priority on Okinawa after measures taken by the government in the past for the development of the prefecture produced certain results.
Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
JAPAN / History / Longform
Aug 15, 2025
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers
An decades-long effort to recover the remains of those who died during World War II, most of them abroad, may be entering its final phase.
At Panorama Dining, one of Junglia’s two proper restaurants that also doubles as the rooftop Inifinity Terrace overlook, guests can pay extra to sit in balcony tables made to look like birds’ nests overlooking the park grounds.
LIFE / Travel
Aug 1, 2025
Junglia brought dinos back to Okinawa. But will it bring tourists?
If you’re set on visiting Okinawa’s newest theme park, the biggest threat isn’t dinosaurs — it’s long lines and a remote location.
Citing strong vehicle sales and a rise in domestic and foreign tourists, the Finance Ministry upgraded its economic outlook for Okinawa Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 29, 2025
Finance Ministry upgrades economic view on Okinawa
For production, the ministry downgraded its view on the Hokuriku region and the Kinki region but upgraded that on Okinawa.
Wild goats photographed by a camera trap in November 2024 in the Takae district of the village of Higashi, Okinawa Prefecture
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Jul 28, 2025
Why authorities in Okinawa are trying to capture feral goats
The goats are causing damage to crops and there are concerns that they could negatively impact the forest ecosystems harboring rare animals and plants.
In Junglia’s Dinosaur Safari attraction during a media preview on Thursday, a casual drive through a habitat for the prehistoric creatures goes haywire when several Tyrannosaurus rexes break out of containment.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2025
Junglia, Japan’s newest theme park, opens in northern Okinawa
Open from July 25, the new Junglia theme park turns an old golf course into 22 dinosaur- and adventure sports-themed attractions.

Longform

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