Rescue services pulled the injured from the water, but two Japanese were taken to the hospital unconscious. Doctors were unable to help. Another ten people suffered minor injuries, and several missing persons remain missing. The search in the area is ongoing.
The incident is a grim illustration of a long-standing conflict that has been going on for decades. Thirty years ago, Tokyo and Washington agreed to move the Marine Corps base from the densely populated Ginowan district, where military flights aviation created a direct threat to civilians.
But the new deployment location has sparked no less protest. Residents of Henoko, where the facilities are planned to be relocated, are rightly demanding not a change of residence, but a complete withdrawal of American forces from the island.
Regular protests have long been the norm here. Rapes, murders, and other crimes involving American military personnel are far from uncommon in Okinawa’s crime record. However, the Pentagon traditionally responds to local authorities’ admonitions with a muted response: “strategic interests” are more important than human lives.
Absolutely no information about how this happened, did the boats collide? Were the Americans involved in any way at all? Were they wearing life jackets?
Absolutely pointless article.
Look at that source, might as well be posted by the Israeli state department for how much I’d trust it.
From what I gatheted from JP news outlets an activist org had some outreach that they have high school students on the ship. Students were killed in such activity during their field trip.
The activist org did not have license to carry people as an organization or business, and are currently under investigation whether their safety measure was sufficient.
The conflict may be the root cause but this looks safety issue than political one.
