Tag - okinawa

 
 

OKINAWA

COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 18, 2015
Okinawa’s base conundrum
The Okinawa base issue goes beyond the tangible impact of the U.S. military bases. More than anything, it’s the attitude of the Japanese central government toward the issue that irks Okinawans.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 18, 2015
Yohei Kono calls suit against Okinawa governor’s base-blocking move ‘denial of local autonomy’
Former House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono called Tuesday’s move by the central government to sue Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga over his rejection of the approval to start work on a base in the prefecture to replace U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma “a denial of local autonomy,” according to...
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 17, 2015
Japanese government sues to overturn Okinawa governor’s block on U.S. base replacement
In a further escalation of the political battle between Tokyo and Okinawa, the central government files a lawsuit against Gov. Takeshi Onaga.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 15, 2015
Construction of an outlaw Marine base in Okinawa
In its eagerness to appease U.S. Marine demands for a super base in northern Okinawa, the Abe administration has cast aside the rules of law.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 13, 2015
Mediation panel reviews latest move in Okinawa base spat
A third-party panel on Friday began reviewing the government’s decision last month to suspend Okinawa Prefecture’s decision to revoke permission for a landfill project at Henoko, where U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma is scheduled to be relocated.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2015
Decorated U.S. sailor turned missionary, who served at Okinawa leprosy facility, dies at 88
The Rev. Charles Brozat, an American missionary whose 54-year service in Japan included a decade ministering to leprosy sufferers in Okinawa, has died at the age of 88.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / CABINET INTERVIEW
Oct 28, 2015
Okinawa affairs minister says Futenma, U.S. military issues outside her mandate
In the Oct. 7 Cabinet reshuffle, Aiko Shimajiri, an Upper House lawmaker elected from the prefecture, was tasked with the key portfolio of minister in charge of Okinawa issues. But in a Wednesday interview, she avoided discussing the top issue facing Tokyo and Okinawa: the controversial relocation of...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 23, 2015
Born in the USA, eaten in Okinawa
Known for its white sand beaches and tropical climate, Japan’s southernmost prefecture, Okinawa, also possesses a confused culinary identity. It’s a fusion of Western tastes and local ingredients that will have visitors questioning where they’ve landed.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 17, 2015
‘Base Nation’ reveals the destructive tentacles of U.S. hegemony
People are often only aware of what is in their own backyard: the intrusiveness of a radar tower here, an ammunition dump there. David Vine’s new book, “Base Nation: How U.S. Military Bases Abroad Harm America and the World,” succeeds in shaking us out of our provincialism.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 17, 2015
‘The Limits of Okinawa’ dissects capitalism and identities on Japan’s far-flung islands
It was not until the tail end of the 19th century that Okinawa formally became part of Japan and Okinawans have long felt distinct from the rest of Japan. Sentiments of neglect and abandonment from Tokyo — and, by extension, Japan — still rage to this day. Historically, Okinawa was its own kingdom,...
EDITORIALS
Oct 15, 2015
Onaga vs. the central government
The national government’s bullheadedness on the Futenma relocation is making a bitter court battle inevitable.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 1, 2015
Photographer aims to explain Okinawa’s tensions in pictures
It is not easy to regard oneself as an oppressor.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 29, 2015
U.S.-Japan environmental agreement on U.S. bases flawed, experts say
The new accord allows Japanese officials access to U.S. military bases in Japan to conduct environmental surveys, but experts question its effectiveness.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 29, 2015
FOIA documents reveal hot spots, fish kills and toxic dumps on Okinawa military base
Following an 18-month battle, the Pentagon has released records detailing serious contamination on Okinawa base land slated soon for return to civilian use.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 24, 2015
Okinawa governor says people’s human rights neglected in U.S. base saga
Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga doubled down Thursday on his pledge to halt construction of a new U.S. military base in his prefecture, claiming people’s human rights were being neglected by Tokyo and Washington.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 22, 2015
Onaga takes base argument to U.N. human rights panel
Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga tells a United Nations human rights body that the central government has closed its ears to local voices in the battle over U.S. military bases.
EDITORIALS
Sep 20, 2015
Onaga’s challenge on Henoko
Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga might lose the legal battle that’s likely coming over his revocation of landfill approval for the Futenma replacement base, but Tokyo would be wise to consider the public sentiment behind his move.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Sep 16, 2015
Pentagon blocks report on ‘toxic contamination’ at base outside Okinawa capital
Excerpts cite buried chemicals and ‘evidence of contamination by heavy metals and pesticides’ at military site on prime real estate near Naha.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 13, 2015
Legal battle over Futenma base relocation increasingly likely
The central government and the Okinawa Prefectural Government appear headed for a legal battle over the transfer of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, after the state restarted work Saturday to relocate the base within the prefecture.
EDITORIALS
Sep 11, 2015
Discouraging end to Henoko talks
The lack of progress in talks between the national government and the Okinawan government over the Futenma relocation plan was unsurprising, given the Abe administration’s unwillingness to pay heed to anti-base sentiment in Okinawa.

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The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival