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BEIJING, May 18 (Xinhuanet) -- About 35,000 protesters have rallied on the Japanese island of Okinawa to protest against a controversial US airbase on the island.
Tokyo and Washington plan to move the US Futenma, which currently located in the crowded Ginowan city, to the less populated Henoko area on Okinawa. Locals oppose the plan, insisting the facility should not be on the island. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last month insisted the current re-location plan was the "only solution."
But Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga hit back, saying that three recent popular votes in Okinawa all showed overwhelming opposition to the move. Okinawa is home to more than half of the 47,000 US service personnel stationed in Japan as part of a defense alliance.
(Source: CNTV.com)
