(Photo: NHK)Okinawa was returned to Japan in 1972, but the Okinawan people's hopes for peace were not fulfilled, and Okinawa was used to strengthen US military power. So, this monument is not an expression of joy nor victory.
-- Inscription on a monument at Kunigami Village, Cape Hedo, in northern Okinawa It's been sixty-five years since the U.S. military first started building their 30 military bases and facilities that now cover 20 percent of the island. It's been thirty-eight years since the U.S. "reverted" Okinawa to Japan, raising the expectation American bases would be closed.
How long will Okinawans wait for freedom, democracy, and peaceful self-determination?
From NHK, "Protesters calling for the closure of the US Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture formed a human chain around the base on Sunday."
The movement, led by local municipalities and peace organizations, coincided with the 38th anniversary of Okinawa's reversion to Japan from US occupation.
Despite the rainy weather, the protesters lined the 13-kilometer road surrounding the base, and raised their hands as they called for its closure and voiced their opposition to its relocation within the prefecture.
The organizer says about 17,000 local residents joined the protest along with labor union members from Okinawa and other parts of the country.
It was the first time in 5 years that a human chain had surrounded the base.
A 90-year-old woman who took part said she has lived in the area for 60 years and hopes the base will be gone soon...
The participants in Sunday's protest stressed their opposition to any move that would involve relocation within Okinawa.
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