U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy visits Okinawa amid base dispute
- 10 years ago
ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
STORY: U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy, made her first tour of Japan's southern, Okinawa island on Wednesday (February 12), as local residents rallied against plans to relocate a U.S. military base.
A controversial plan backed by the U.S. government would see a Marine Corps base in Futenma moved some 50 km (30 miles) north to Henoko, which activists say will destroy an area home to the endangered marine mammal, dugong.
After arriving late on Tuesday (February 11), Kennedy held a meeting on Wednesday morning with Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima, a vocal supporter of the base proposal.
"Hopefully we can work together to keep the momentum moving forward for progress," Kennedy said.
Kennedy's celebrity appeal has drawn big crowds in Japan since her arrival in December 2013.
But on Wednesday, Okinawa residents took to the streets to voice their opposition to the relocation plan.
Delays in relocating the
STORY: U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy, made her first tour of Japan's southern, Okinawa island on Wednesday (February 12), as local residents rallied against plans to relocate a U.S. military base.
A controversial plan backed by the U.S. government would see a Marine Corps base in Futenma moved some 50 km (30 miles) north to Henoko, which activists say will destroy an area home to the endangered marine mammal, dugong.
After arriving late on Tuesday (February 11), Kennedy held a meeting on Wednesday morning with Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima, a vocal supporter of the base proposal.
"Hopefully we can work together to keep the momentum moving forward for progress," Kennedy said.
Kennedy's celebrity appeal has drawn big crowds in Japan since her arrival in December 2013.
But on Wednesday, Okinawa residents took to the streets to voice their opposition to the relocation plan.
Delays in relocating the