 Nago residents stage protest against new U.S. base construction On December 21, the 7th anniversary of Okinawa's Nago City referendum in which residents expressed their refusal of a U.S. base construction in their community, Okinawan peace activists carried out a demonstration in protest against the planned construction on the sea off Henoko in Nago City. They covered the water where the U.S. forces plan to construct the new base with 24 boats provided by citizens' groups and fishermen, and staged a protest on a scaffolding that was built by government officials for a drilling survey. More than 400 people assembled at Henoko beach, where local residents have been holding a sit-in for 247 days since the Naha Defense Facilities Administration started the drilling survey in April. Japanese Communist Party House of Representatives member Akamine Seiken encouraged the protesters from a boat owned by the Nago City Peace Committee. At night, the demonstrators held a candle peace march in the downtown of Nago City, chanting, "Don't let them build a base in our beautiful ocean!" On the same day, members of the Central Action Committee against the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty took to the streets of Tokyo to collect signatures in support of Okinawans' efforts. (end) |