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| China-Japan-Koreas | |
| Thousands in Japan rally against U.S. base on Okinawa | |
| 2016-02-22 | |
Thousands of people surrounded Japan's parliament on Sunday to protest against government plans to relocate a U.S. military base on Okinawa island, local media reported.
Many residents of Okinawa there resent the fact that it hosts tens of thousands of U.S. troops and military. The United States and Japan agreed in 1996 to relocate the base, currently in a heavily populated area, to a new site in Henoko, but many residents of the island have rejected the proposal and want the base moved altogether. Many residents say they associate U.S. bases with noise, pollution and crime. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #10 It's not the protestors per se. It's the local politicians who play it safe by saying nothing or issuing 'soothing' words. I've yet to hear a major leader say publicly - "Are you out of your f*****g minds?" Yet they expect us to die for their defense. Sorry, but there's a lot of us who are tired of that old game. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2016-02-22 18:42 |
| #9 This has become a traditional Japanese activity, like viewing the cherry blossoms or watching the moon rise. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2016-02-22 17:10 |
| #8 If Uncle Sam withdrew from every base that was the subject of organized protests, NATO would have been disbanded a long time ago. Japan is a nation of over 100m people. 28K protestors are a drop in the ocean. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2016-02-22 16:52 |
| #7 28,000 is a good number. Perhaps the Japanese government should put it to a vote in Okinawa and have them put their opinion down in black and white. Hopefully that'll shut folks up about US imperialism or signal that it's time for the US to step back. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2016-02-22 14:30 |
| #6 They were protesting in 1968 when I was in Okinawa.That's where I got my OJT in riot control. |
| Posted by: OCCD 2016-02-22 09:40 |
| #5 "Yellow lives Matter!" |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2016-02-22 09:22 |
| #4 ...In fairness, I'd point out that this protest took place some distance from Okinawa, and I doubt there were many native Okinawans in said protest. Most Okinawans know exactly what would happen if the US bailed, and so does the Japanese Government. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2016-02-22 05:04 |
| #3 I wonder if the Okinawans would rather host the Chinese First Manchurian Memorial Army Corps? Many fond legacy memories there ... And yes, I invented that particular unit name. |
| Posted by: Lone Ranger 2016-02-22 00:46 |
| #2 This fight is so old. It's a waste of time to constantly have to mobilize. Make up your damn minds, Japan. |
| Posted by: newc 2016-02-22 00:35 |
| #1 Sayonara. You deal with the Chinese expansionism on your own. Wait till you host thousands of Chinese troops and military on Okinawa. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2016-02-22 00:06 |