Friday, May 07, 2010

Another battle of Okinawa

Despite protests, the U.S. insists on going ahead with plans for a new military base on the island.

By Chalmers Johnson, Los Angeles Times, May 6, 2010

The United States is on the verge of permanently damaging its alliance with Japan in a dispute over a military base in Okinawa. This island prefecture hosts three-quarters of all U.S. military facilities in Japan. Washington wants to build one more base there, in an ecologically sensitive area. The Okinawans vehemently oppose it, and tens of thousands gathered last month to protest the base. Tokyo is caught in the middle, and it looks as if Japan’s prime minister has just caved in to the U.S. demands.

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