NAGO, Okinawa Pref. -- A prefabricated building behind Jisei Asato's home in the Toyohara district of Nago used to be an office occupied by the Kube Area Economic Promotion Council. It is now closed and bears "for rent" signs.
"Whatever we say, we don't get our voice heard by the big powers," said Asato, 81, a former head of the district.
Following a 1996 agreement that the U.S. would return the central Okinawa land upon which the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station is located in five to seven years, this coastal area of Nago became a candidate site for an alternative facility, which is required under the accord.
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