The newly elected governor of Okinawa Prefecture said Friday he will take the island’s long-running concerns about U. S. military bases there directly to Am
The newly elected governor of Okinawa Prefecture said Friday he will take the island’s long-running concerns about U. S. military bases there directly to Americans when he visits the country next week.
Denny Tamaki, born to a Japanese mother and a U. S. Marine father, said he wants to see Tokyo and Washington spread the burden of hosting U. S. troops more evenly across Japan.
“I am not asking for an immediate shutdown and withdrawal of U. S. bases,” he told a press conference in Tokyo.
“The reality that the Okinawan people face is that we don’t know to whom we should voice our frustration,” Tamaki said.
He will go to Washington and New York to meet with local politicians and journalists, and said he is hopeful his mixed background will help persuade Americans to recognize the views of Okinawans.
“After the (U. S.) midterm elections, I — as a person who has roots to both Japan and the U. S. — am going there. I hope it will have a media impact,” he added.
