CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Okinawans opposed to the presence of U.S. bases there began a march across the island Thursday that is to end Sunday with a human chain around Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan.
The events are being held to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the island prefecture’s reversion to Japan after 27 years of U.S. occupation following World War II.
The ring-around-Futenma rally is to begin at 2 p.m. Sunday, with the human chain closing for three minutes at 2:15, 2:30 and 2:45 p.m. Organizers of the event expect about 20,000 participants.
The event is to be followed by a mass rally at 4:30 at an outdoor stage at the Ginowan Convention Center.
Marine Corps officials have informed servicemembers, civilian employees and their families about the Futenma event and the route to be followed by the marchers.
On Thursday, marchers trekked from Henoko, the site of the planned replacement facility for MCAS Futenma, to Nago for a mass rally. On Friday, one group was set to begin the eastern leg of the march from Henoko along Highway 329 to Ginowan, stopping for brief rallies in front of Camp Hansen’s main gate in Kin at noon and at 5 p.m. outside the base near the site of an urban training complex being built for the Army. Meanwhile, another group will stage a rally on Ie Shima, site of a Marine auxiliary airfield.
On Saturday, both groups plan to stage rallies outside Kadena Air Base. One group will stage a brief rally at Camp Courtney in the morning before walking south on Highway 75 to Highway 330, to hold rallies outside Kadena’s Gate Two and the Plaza Housing Area in the afternoon.
Marchers on the western leg are to walk along Highway 6 from the Yomitan Village Hall to Kadena’s Gate Four on Highway 58 in the morning. Then they’re to rally outside the air base’s main gate at noon, before marching along Highway 58 to the Chatan Town Hall.
On Sunday morning, the east- and west-course marchers are to demonstrate outside Camp Foster. One group is to begin at Kitanakagusuku Town Hall at 9 a.m. and march to the Marine Headquarters Gate on Highway 330. The other group is to kick off its march from Chatan Stadium at the same time and rally in front of the Kitamae gate.
At 12:30 p.m., the marchers from the two northern courses are to meet up with other protesters who are taking part in a march in southern Okinawa from Itoman. The three groups will meet at Morikawa Park in Ginowan and then proceed to positions around MCAS Futenma.
If successful, Sunday’s event will be the fourth time the Marine air station would have been surrounded by a human chain of protesters since 1995.
Chiyomi Sumida contributed to this report.
