Abe support rate falls; 69% want Okinawa vote on base issue respected
The public support rate for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet has fallen slightly to 43.3 percent, with many calling for respecting a recent local referendum that rejected a plan to relocate a U.S. air base within Okinawa Prefecture, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday. In ...
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 ...
Osprey crash-landing angers Okinawans, sparks nationwide debate
A wave of shock, anger and anxiety spread in Japan after a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey crash-landed Tuesday night off the coast of Okinawa Prefecture, in the first major accident in the country involving the tilt-rotor aircraft. The accident has reinforced a view held ...
Okinawa residents sue state over construction of U.S. helipads
People near the site of helipads to be built for the U.S. military file suit against Tokyo, seeking to stop construction due to noise problems.
Roads blocked, press barred as tempers flare over landing pads in Okinawa
Public anger is rising on Okinawa at a proposed site for new U.S. military landing pads, with residents and reporters criticizing what they say are heavy-handed tactics by the Japanese authorities to push the project through. Last month, the U.S. military declared it was preparing ...
In bid to block Nago base construction, Okinawa governor may nix coral transplant
Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga is considering rejecting the state's plan to transplant corals from waters off a planned U.S. base construction site in the northern part of Okinawa Island to another location, in the latest move to thwart the construction, a prefectural official said ...
Abe's defense minister pick sparks concern over relations with South Korea
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's choice for the key post of defense minister, Tomomi Inada, is a politician known for her strong nationalistic views. She was once barred from entering South Korea, and her appointment has sparked concerns over the prospects for further Tokyo-Seoul bilateral defense ...
Shinzato denies rape, says prejudging by public denies him 'fair trial' in Okinawa
An American man charged with raping and murdering a 20-year-old Okinawan woman says he did not intend to kill her.
Okinawa anti-base faction's election win puts governor in the driver's seat
Voters gave Gov. Takeshi Onaga high marks in a prefectural assembly election widely viewed as a midterm report on his administration and policies related to U.S. military bases.
As part of a court-mediated settlement process, the central and Okinawa prefectural governments will kick off talks March 23 over the planned relocation of U.S. Marine Corps’ Air Station Futenma, Gov. Takeshi Onaga said Monday. Earlier this month, the two sides accepted the settlement proposed ...
Tokyo, Washington sign pact to continue Japan's support for U.S. military bases
Japan and the United States on Friday signed an agreement under which Tokyo will maintain the budget to host U.S. forces over the next five fiscal years from April amid security challenges posed by North Korea's nuclear ambitions. "The presence of U.S. forces in Japan ...
U.S. base relocation a key issue as campaigning begins for Ginowan election
Official campaigning begins for a mayoral election in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, in what is seen as a battle between Tokyo and Okinawa over a key U.S. military base.
