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| US Marine Corps Futenma Air Base |
TOKYO — Thousands of protesters formed a human chain around Japan’s parliament Sunday in protest at the planned construction of a new US base on the southern island of Okinawa.
Some 28,000 people, according to local media, surrounded the building holding banners reading “No more US bases in Okinawa” and “Follow the will of Okinawa.”
Many wore blue, the color symbolizing support for the island.
Police did not give an estimate of the number taking part in the rally, the latest in a long series of protests.
The dispute has intensified mistrust between the central government and the southern island chain.
Okinawa accounts for less than 1 percent of Japan’s total land area but hosts about 75 percent of US military facilities in the country.
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