Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


              Thousands in Japan Rally Against US Base on Okinawa

   by Reuters

   Thousands of people surrounded Japan's parliament on Sunday to protest
   against government plans to relocate a U.S. military base on Okinawa
   island, local media reported.

   Kyodo news agency said some 28,000 protesters had ringed parliament
   house in central Tokyo, holding hands and shouting: "Don't build the
   base". Hundreds more held similar protests across the country, it also
   reported.

   Okinawa was the site of Japan's only land battles in World War II and
   many residents there resent the fact that it hosts tens of thousands of
   U.S. troops and military.

   The United States and Japan agreed in 1996 to relocate the base,
   currently in a heavily populated area, to a new site in Henoko, but
   many residents of the island have rejected the proposal and want the
   base moved altogether.

   Many residents of Okinawa say they associate U.S. bases with noise,
   pollution and crime.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/thousands-in-japan-rally-against-us-b
   ase-on-okinawa/3200420.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/thousands-in-japan-rally-against-us-base-on-okinawa/3200420.html