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February 12, 2014

Okinawa Residents Protest U.S. Base During Ambassador's Visit 
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Hundreds of protesters are rallying on the Japanese island of Okinawa to
mark the first visit by new U.S. ambassador Caroline Kennedy. The trip
is seen as a show of support for Okinawa's governor, who recently agreed
to relocate a major U.S. military base from a densely populated urban
area to a more remote location. But a decades-long movement of Okinawa
residents has opposed the base altogether and pushed for ousting U.S.
forces off the island, citing environmental concerns and sexual assaults
by U.S. soldiers on local residents. Around 300 people marched in the
town of Naha ahead of Kennedy's arrival, waving signs saying, "No Base."

 

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