US Returns 17% of Occupied Okinawa Land to Japan

• 07.29.2016, 20:27
•  America,  Asia,  World

Nathan Layne / File Photo / Reuters

Citizens of Okinawa in Japan could be having their wishes fulfilled - at least 17 percent fulfilled, as that is the amount of land the United States military plans to transfer back to the island from its control, amid growing problems with its public image. 

Several murders and a drunken joyride that made headlines have only added to the growing feeling of discontent amongst the locals about the US' regional presence. The military bases have long been blamed for noise and air pollution, and many locals also see them as an uneasy legacy of post-WWII American occupation, according to Sott Nett.

The handover is the biggest such move since 1972, when the formal occupation by US forces ended. It comes amid a rise in anti-American sentiment following a series of cases involving the US military, particularly the murder of a young Japanese woman by a civilian contractor. 

The area that is being returned is 4,000 sq. hectares (or 40 sq. km) and is part of a jungle training camp, a statement read.