Japanese protest US Marine bases in Okinawa Prefecture

Thousands of Japanese people have staged a demonstration to express their strong opposition to the presence of US military bases on the southern island of Okinawa, and to demand the removal of the controversial sites and US Marine Corps from the region.

The protesters gathered at a seaside resort in the city of Nago in the northern part of the island on Thursday as the US military returned 9,800 acres of land it had controlled since the end of the Second World War.

The demonstrators carried banners that read “Get out! Marines” and “No base Henoko” in English, as lines of policemen wearing masks stood by.

The protest rally came on the second day of joint US-Japan ceremonies held in Tokyo and Nago to mark the return of the land.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled against the governor’s attempt to block construction work in the coastal area.

The US military presence in Japan exceeds 100,000 people, with about half of the US troops deployed in Okinawa, according to US Forces Japan.