Okinawa urges dropping base transfer plan ahead of 50th return anniv.

Okinawa Prefecture has called on the central government to scrap a plan to relocate a U.S. air base within the southern Japanese prefecture in its new proposals for creating a "peaceful and prosperous" future released Saturday ahead of the 50th anniversary of its reversion to Japan later this month.The proposals also request a drastic review of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, as Okinawa hosts the bulk of U.S. military installations in Japan, and a spate of crimes and accidents involving U.S. soldiers and base personnel have angered residents. They view the agreement as overly pro…READ FULL ARTICLE