12-01-08, 11:47 am
Original source: Akahata
Okinawa's fishers are strongly demanding that waters closed off for U.S. forces' training be returned.
Pressured by fishermen, Okinawa Governor Nakaima Hirokazu for the first time joined the prefectural association of fishermen's cooperatives in making representations to the Foreign Ministry, the Defense Ministry, and the US Ambassador to Japan. He demanded that air space and waters closed off for US forces' shooting, bombing, and other training exercises on the islands of Kumejima and Torishima be returned and that the designation of the so-called 'Area Hotel Hotel' air space and waters as training area be revoked.
In Okinawa, fishermen have been driven out of the best fishing grounds by US forces. In addition, they are now facing serious financial difficulty due to the rising fuel cost. It is natural that Okinawa's fishermen demand that the training areas that force fishers out be returned.
