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| U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma |
NAHA, Japan (Kyodo) -- Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga expressed his frustration Monday over the continued large presence of U.S. military bases in the island prefecture as it marks the 45th anniversary of its reversion to Japan from U.S. military rule.
"Even after the reversion, (Okinawa) continues to suffer from incidents and accidents linked to U.S. bases, environmental and other concerns," Onaga said in a statement, calling the bases the "biggest impediment to development" in his prefecture.
In Okinawa, there is lingering resentment over bearing the burden of hosting the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan. Crimes linked to the U.S. bases are a source of constant grievance.
Despite the local community's hope of seeing its base-hosting burden significantly eased since the reversion, Onaga said Okinawa remains in a "difficult situation."
Read the full story at The Mainichi