Futenma Shutdown Sought 22 Years after U.S. Helicopter Crash

Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, August 13 (Jiji Press)—Okinawa International University's President, Hajime Asato, urged the immediate closure of the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma air station during a commemoration marking 22 years since a U.S. military helicopter crashed into the university premises. "We strongly demand that the Japanese and U.S. governments immediately close and remove the base," Asato stated.

The university, located in the city of Ginowan on Okinawa's southernmost island, neighbors the Futenma base. Around 120 people, comprising students and faculty, participated in the gathering held near a tree charred by the August 13, 2004 crash of a large transport helicopter belonging to the U.S. base. Asato referenced an incident in March of this year, when a U.S. military helicopter made an emergency landing at a baseball field in the city of Nago, Okinawa, and emphasized that the entire prefecture remains at risk.

Addressing fellow students as a representative, fourth-year College of Industry and Information Science student Momoka Maehara, 22, who was born in the year of the 2004 helicopter crash, delivered her remarks.