NEWSWORTHY
Endangered bat, believed to be extinct locally, discovered in former U.S. training area in Okinawa
A former U.S. military training site in Okinawa Prefecture provided a precious refuge for a critically endangered bat unseen on the prefecture's main island for 22 years. The Yanbaru whiskered bat (Myotis yanbarensis) was captured by a research team two months ago, Kyoto University ...
Protesters in Okinawa rallied after being removed from the replacement site for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on Monday as they marked nearly a year since seawall construction began. The government is building the seawalls in preparation for effectively moving the contentious base further ...
Kuwae wins Okinawa mayoral election, delivering fresh blow to anti-base Onaga
The ruling bloc-backed incumbent won Sunday's mayoral election in the city of Okinawa, dealing a blow to opponents of the Futenma base relocation plan. Sachio Kuwae, 62, backed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's conservative Liberal Democratic Party and its ruling coalition partner, Komeito, defeated Hiromi ...
Tensions surge as China flies bombers around Taiwan, holds live-fire drills
Chinese bombers and spy planes have flown around Taiwan, the air force said Thursday as Taipei accused Beijing of trying to stoke regional tensions with its military drills. China sees the democratically-governed island as a renegade part of its territory to be brought back into ...
Okinawa measles outbreak threatens tourism ahead of Golden Week
A measles outbreak in Okinawa is causing concerns about tourism ahead of the Golden Week holidays, with 65 infections registered over a one-month period that ended Thursday, the Okinawa Prefectural Government said. Golden Week starts later this month, but hotels in the popular resort area ...
Okinawa village has nation's longest life expectancy for third straight time, survey finds
For the third consecutive time, the life expectancy average for women in 2015 was highest in the village of Kitanakagusuku, in Okinawa Prefecture, hitting 89.0 years, a health ministry survey released Tuesday showed. The village of Nakagusuku and the city of Nago, both also in ...
Visitors to Okinawa invited to be citizen scientists as tourism takes its toll on coral
Divers equipped with a simple color chart and an app can help keep an eye on the island prefecture's delicate coral ecosystem.
Okinawa angling to become cruise liner hub, not just waypoint
Okinawa has unveiled a road map to develop the southern island prefecture into a major hub for international cruise ships in East Asia. With the three-phase scheme, starting this year, the prefectural government is trying to achieve its goal of drawing 2 million cruise tourists ...
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, ...
Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga to undergo surgery after tumor found in pancreas
Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga said Tuesday a tumor has been found in his pancreas, and that he will undergo surgery. The 67-year-old said he wants to return to official duties as soon as possible as he remains committed to strongly opposing the state's controversial plan ...
Okinawa brews up plans to make homegrown coffee a new specialty product
While Japan mostly depends on imports for its coffee consumption, farmers in Okinawa are trying to popularize homegrown coffee. Local farmers established a producers association in 2014, hoping to make coffee beans a new signature agricultural product of the island prefecture. The association is set ...
Landfill work connected to Futenma base transfer in Okinawa set to start in July
The government in July plans to begin land reclamation work at the site of a controversial U.S. military base transfer in Okinawa Prefecture, sources said Saturday. The relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from a crowded residential area in southern Okinawa faces strong ...
