In Japan’s Okinawa, voters deliver a resounding no to new U.S. military base

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In Japan’s Okinawa, voters deliver a resounding no to new U.S. military base


By Akiko Kashiwagi and
Simon Denyer
February 24

TOKYO — Voters in the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa resoundingly rejected the construction of a new U.S. military base on their island in a referendum Sunday, causing a fresh headache for the central government and for U.S. forces in Japan.

Okinawa is home to about half the 54,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan and houses the largest U.S. air base in the Asia-Pacific region. The U.S. military says its presence on the island is vital not only for the defense of Japan, but also for keeping peace in the region.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/in-japans-okinawa-voters-deliver-a-resounding-no-to-new-us-military-base/2019/02/24/95283a46-3858-11e9-b786-d6abcbcd212a_story.html?utm_term=.6e9da5a6e884