The Latest Breaking News from Okinawa

Okinawa 50 yrs since return / Unexploded WWII bombs remain daily threat in Okinawa

Even 50 years after Okinawa Prefecture was returned to Japan, an average of over one unexploded ordnance is found in the prefecture a day. In the past, unexploded bombs have detonated at construction sites, resulting in deaths and injuries. It is estimated that about 1,900 tons of unexploded bombs have…

The Japan News/Yomiuri · May 15, 2022

Okinawa marks 50 years of end to US rule amid protests

Okinawa is marking the 50th anniversary of its return to Japan after 27 years of American rule on May 15, 1972, amid protests against a continued heavy U.S. military presence and lack of support from the mainland

The Independent UK · May 15, 2022

Japan's Okinawa marks half century since U.S. handover as regional tensions grow

The Japanese island chain of Okinawa marked the 50th anniversary on Sunday of the end of U.S. occupation and its return to Japan with calls for more economic growth and fewer U.S. bases despite growing worries over its proximity to an increasingly assertive China.

Reuters · May 15, 2022

Okinawan music and dance, old and new, on stage in Tokyo

A festival of Okinawan performing arts was recently held at the National Theatre in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the return of Okinawa Prefecture to Japanese sovereignty.

The Japan News/Yomiuri · May 10, 2022

Okinawa seeks Tokyo's help lowering tensions with China

Okinawa's governor is calling for Japan to do more for peaceful diplomacy with China

The Independent UK · May 6, 2022

Chinese carrier sails through waters near Okinawa, Japan says

Eight Chinese naval vessels, including an aircraft carrier, passed between islands in Japan's southern Okinawa chain on Monday, Japan's defence ministry said in a news release.

Reuters · May 3, 2022

Okinawa 50 yrs since return / 'Reversion children' help preserve stories about Battle of Okinawa

Okinawans born in 1972 are often referred to as "reversion children," as their birth year coincided with the return of Okinawa to Japan after 27 years of U.S. rule. Half a century later, a number of such people are working on a documentary film featuring testimonies from people who survived…

The Japan News/Yomiuri · May 2, 2022

Black Construction-Tutor Perini JV Bags $106.8M Project In Guam

Tutor Perini Corp (NYSE:TPC) joint-venture Black Construction-Tutor Perini has secured a firm-fixed-price contract valued at ~$106.8 million from the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Pacific Division (NAVFAC). The new contract is the second Bachelor Officer Quarters to be awarded by NAVFAC following a similar project previously awarded to the JV in 2021. The…

Benzinga · Apr 8, 2022

Okinawa 50 yrs since return *Life* 3 / Okinawans with U.S. fathers suffer discrimination

Okinawa Prefecture hosts 70% of all U.S. military facilities in Japan. The presence of U.S. bases has had an effect on the lives of residents. This series looks into the situation.

The Japan News/Yomiuri · Apr 1, 2022

Okinawa 50 yrs since return: National political affairs / Suga, Onaga embodied deep divisions between central govt, Okinawa

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Okinawa's return to Japan. This is the sixth and final installment of a series that looks at the politics surrounding Okinawa's subsequent development and issues relating to the presence of U.S. bases.

The Japan News/Yomiuri · Mar 27, 2022