Okinawa pref. submits bill on U.S. base transfer referendum

The Okinawa prefectural government on Thursday submitted to the local assembly a bill proposing a referendum on the controversial plan to relocate a key U.S. military base within the southern island prefecture.The bill is likely to be approved in the prefectural assembly, where a majority of members are opposed to the transfer of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, the long-stalled plan pushed by Tokyo and Washington.Many Okinawa residents want the base moved outside the prefecture rather than transferring it from a crowded residential area of Ginowan to the less populated coastal di…READ FULL ARTICLE