Mari Higa

Mari Higa is an Okinawa-based reporter/translator who joined Stars and Stripes in 2021. She previously worked as a research consultant and translator. She studied sociology at the University of Birmingham and Hitotsubashi University Graduate School of Social Sciences.

@marihiga21

higa.mari@stripes.com

Cpl. Natalie Marino and other members of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit stand at attention during the opening ceremony for the Iron Fist exercise at Camp Ainoura in Sasebo, Japan, Feb. 25, 2024.

US, Japanese forces practice island defense during Iron Fist amphibious exercise

U.S. Marines and sailors and Japanese troops have begun three weeks of amphibious training amid concern in both countries about Chinese military moves around Japan and Taiwan.

A U.S. civilian working at Camp Lester died Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, after his car, pictured here at Okinawa Police Station the next day, ran up a curb and struck a roadside tree.

Civilian working at Marine Corps base on Okinawa dies in car crash

Marines dump water onto Col. Matthew Danner, commaner of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, during a fundraiser at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, April 28, 2023.

Okinawa, facing water shortage, asks US military to conserve

The Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands, though relative specks in the East China Sea, are among several sites where China acts aggressively to assert territorial claims that other nations regard as illegal.

China steps up warnings to Japanese military aircraft near disputed Senkaku Islands

Mount Fuji is seen from Yamanashi prefecture, Japan, Dec. 28, 2020.

Climbing Mount Fuji this summer? Fee to use most popular trail will increase to $20

The entry fee to Yoshida Trail on Mount Fuji is increasing.

Then-Staff Sgt. DariusOmar Stephens, a military working dog handler for the 18th Security Forces Squadron, works with ZsoZso at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Aug. 24, 2023.

US airman’s mother gets suspended sentence for cannabis charges on Okinawa

Kasandra Michelle Stephens, 45, the mother of Tech. Sgt. DariusOmar Stephens, 26, a military working dog handler at Kadena Air Base, pleaded guilty Jan. 18 in Naha District Court to violating Japan’s Cannabis Control and Customs Acts.

Airman, his wife get suspended sentences for cannabis vape pens mailed to Okinawa

A Japanese court handed an airman and his wife suspended sentences Tuesday for their attempt to receive cannabis vape pens via the mail at Kadena Air Base in August.

Marijuana possession can bring up to five years in prison under Japan’s Cannabis Control Act.

Japanese police accuse Marine Corps civilian of marijuana possession on Okinawa

Japanese police have arrested a civilian employee of the U.S. Marine Corps on Okinawa on suspicion of possession of marijuana.

Airman’s mother sorry for sending cannabis liquid to her son and his wife in Japan

Kasandra Michelle Stephens, 45, the mother of Tech. Sgt. DariusOmar Stephens, 26, a miliary working dog handler at Kadena Air Base, admitted Thursday in Naha District Court to violating Japan’s Cannabis Control Act and Customs Law.

At Junglia, a theme park under construction in northern Okinawa, attractions will include safari rides in which patrons will be chased by dinosaurs.

Junglia, a nature-focused theme park, is in the works for northern Okinawa

Junglia, where the attractions focus on nature, is scheduled to open in summer 2025. The park will take advantage of its proximity to Yambaru National Park, a subtropical forest region that’s been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since July 2021.

This grenade, found caked in dirt at a former U.S. military training site in northern Okinawa, has gone missing, according to the Japanese military.

Japan apologizes after grenade goes missing from former US training site

The Japanese government is seeking the return of a grenade that went missing from a former U.S. military training site in Okinawa’s northern jungle.

Protesters gathered outside Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Friday, Jan. 12, 2024, following the restart of construction for a runway being built into Oura Bay.

Okinawans bring their ‘anger’ to protest against Marine runway construction

Close to 1,000 people gathered outside Camp Schwab to protest construction to create a military runway from reclaimed sea bottom.

Construction work continues on a Marine Corps runway into Oura Bay at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Sept. 15, 2022. Work to reclaim a portion of seabed for a new Marine Corps airfield on Okinawa began Wednesday after a Japanese Cabinet minister approved job changes over local objections.

Long-delayed landfill work begins for Marine Corps runway on Okinawa

Work to reclaim a portion of seabed for a new Marine Corps airfield on Okinawa began Wednesday after a Japanese Cabinet minister approved job changes over local objections.

A Japanese citizen holds up a sign protesting the Chinese government's claim of ownership of the Senkaku Islands in this undated photo.

US ambassador to Japan repeats claim that China plans daily presence near Senkaku Islands

Beijing plans to keep ships around the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea for 365 consecutive days this year to reinforce its claim on the Japanese-administered islands, a news agency said.

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