In late November, on a deserted stretch of pristine beach at the southern tip of Okinawa, on Henoko island, half a dozen sun scorched protestors and their friendly Husky marked their 2,415th day of protesting a new U.S. air force base. That same day, the island voted in a major gubernatorial election that could decide the future of the U.S in Okinawa.The incumbent governor, 71 year-old Hirokazu Nakaima, ran on a campaign of relocating the bases. "Relocation," for Nakaima, once meant shifting the largest U.S. base, Futenma Marine Corps Air Base, to Henoko, but as election day neared, and polls showed both candidates in a dead heat, Nakaima made a last minute change in policy and called for a complete withdrawal of bases from Okinawa. Nakaima's last minute switch may have helped him win.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-nessen/okinawa-us-marine-base-an_b_804460.html)
Okinawa U.S. Marine Base Angers Residents And Governor (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-nessen/okinawa-us-marine-base-an_b_804460.html)