By MATTHEW M. BURKE AND AYA ICHIHASHI | STARS AND STRIPES Published: January 22, 2021
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa – Okinawans called on President Joe Biden this week to reconsider construction of a new Marine Corps airfield on the island, while others in Japan hope he’ll push for an accounting of Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea.
The relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma out of an urban area to a site under construction farther north at Camp Schwab in the Henoko district is a sticking point with many Okinawans.
Most voters in a February 2019 referendum, 72%, opposed the plan. Just over half the prefecture’s 1.15 million registered voters turned out.