Tag - us-bases

 
 

US BASES

A 2015 protest against the construction of military infrastructure in Okinawa Prefecture. Many residents are also worried about the impact of a Taiwan contingency on their islands.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 4, 2024
Okinawa’s peace movement carves its own path
Many Okinawans worry about a Taiwan contingency and are angered by U.S. base relocation: Grievances that have given impetus to the islands' own diplomacy.
The planned return to Japan of a U.S. military port in Naha has been delayed to at least the late 2030s.
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2024
Relocation of Naha military port remains a long way off
The facility sits on land near downtown Naha and Naha Airport, and is drawing attention as a promising development site.
A soldier stands in front of the grave sites of fallen soldiers in Kinmen, Taiwan, on Aug. 23, 2023. Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered his military to be ready to take Taiwan by 2027, though many analysts see that as an attempt to galvanize his military rather than a timeline for invasion.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 1, 2024
How Washington is preparing for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan
It is looking at a key vulnerability — military logistics — and is setting up hubs in the Indo-Pacific region to ensure supplies are readily available.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi meets Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki at the Okinawa Prefectural Government building on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 28, 2024
Japanese government to proceed with U.S. base relocation within Okinawa
During the meeting with Hayashi, Tamaki demanded that the central government immediately stop the landfill work related to the Futenma relocation project
American President Joe Biden hugs Brittany Alkonis after giving a State of the Union in February. The wife of jailed U.S. sailor Lt. Ridge Alkonis ran a successful pressure campaign to get her husband released from a Japanese prison into American custody. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 24, 2024
Japan owes no apology for U.S. Navy officer’s treatment
The case of Navy Lt. Ridge Alkonis is a divisive one, which both the U.S. and Japanese governments have tried to keep quiet about.
Construction work is underway on Wednesday in Oura Bay in Okinawa Prefecture, the site of the coastal airfield that will replace Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.
EDITORIALS
Jan 12, 2024
Futenma moves forward, but local concerns must be addressed
Originally planned to have been finished by now, the base project is now anticipated to take over nine years to complete.
Construction work goes on in the Henoko coastal district of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, on Monday, with Oura Bay in the foreground.
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2023
Japan to OK base relocation project design change by proxy
The approval of the change application will mark the central government's first-ever proxy execution of a local government administrative task.
U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture
JAPAN
Dec 16, 2023
Henoko base relocation project enters new phase in Okinawa
The project to relocate a U.S. military base to the Henoko coastal area is entering a new phase five years after land reclamation began there.
Construction work is conducted in the Henoko coastal area in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, on Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2023
Okinawa promotion spending to fall to ¥267.8 billion in fiscal 2024
The outlay would stand below ¥300 billion for the third successive year, according to a government estimate.
U.S. President Joe Biden hugs Brittany Alkonis, wife of Lt. Ridge Alkonis, on the day of the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in Washington on Feb. 7.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 15, 2023
U.S. Navy officer jailed in Japan transferred to U.S. custody
Lt. Ridge Alkonis has been serving a three-year prison term since being convicted of negligent driving over a fatal car crash.
U.S. Kadena Air Base in Okinawa
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2023
U.S. spy drone unit leaves Kagoshima for move to Okinawa
The U.S. drones are set to be used to strengthen surveillance of Chinese military ships in the East China Sea.
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 12, 2023
Okinawa governor refuses to approve design change for Henoko base
The central government has claimed that the governor's disapproval "seriously harms the public interest."
A U.S. military MQ-9 Reaper unmanned reconnaissance drone at a Maritime Self-Defense Force air base in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, in November last year
JAPAN
Oct 6, 2023
U.S. spy drones may be relocated from Kagoshima to Okinawa
The move is part of efforts to strengthen surveillance around the Nansei island chain.
The U.S Navy's Ranger unmanned vessel docks at Yokosuka Naval Base in Kanagawa Prefecture. The ship is one of two U.S. Navy unmanned prototype vessels that were recently dispatched to Japan as part of a long-range deployment exercise.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 21, 2023
Unmanned U.S. Navy vessels make Japan debut
The U.S. Navy debuted the unmanned prototype vessels as it prepares to increase both the number and use of drones amid growing tensions with China.
Construction work continues on Monday at the Henoko coastal area of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 4, 2023
Japan top court upholds ruling against Okinawa over Futenma move
The decision may accelerate the relocation effort, as it requires the prefectural government to approve design changes.
U.S. and Japanese authorities are concerned that purchases of farmland near military bases and other critical facilities will allow China and other governments to spy on or interfere with their operations.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 22, 2023
For the best espionage, it’s location, location, location
Efforts by Chinese companies to purchase land — often, but not exclusively, agricultural — has authorities in Japan and the United States up in arms.
An American F-15 jet takes off from Anderson Air Force Base in Guam earlier this year. The U.S. is hunting for malicious computer code it believes China has hidden deep inside the networks controlling power grids, communications systems and water supplies that feed military bases in the United States and around the world.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 30, 2023
U.S. hunts Chinese malware amid military disruption fears
The U.S. believes the malware could give China the power to disrupt or slow military deployments or resupply operations.
A man sits on his own at a taco stand on Kokusai Street in Naha.
COMMUNITY / Issues
Jul 2, 2023
Peacemaking of a different sort in Okinawa
Through therapy and community outreach, counseling service TELL draws on the personal experiences of its clinicians and support workers to help various communities in Okinawa.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2023
Victims mourned 78 years after end of Battle of Okinawa
Participants in a ceremony hosted by the prefectural government observed a minute of silence for the over 200,000 victims and renewed a pledge to pursue peace.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jun 19, 2023
U.S. military drag show ban reverberates far away in Japan
The cancellation of drag shows has left organizers scrambling to find alternative venues or forced them to cancel the events altogether.

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