Residents of the Japanese island of Okinawa held a demonstration on Monday at sea against plans to build a new airfield there for the US military base, the Japanese media reported.
As the Kyodo agency and the TBS television channel reported, the protesters swam up with about 70 kayaks and inflatable boats to the site of the future airfield near Hanoko. Half of them tried to penetrate the blockade into the construction zone. Demonstrators in these boats were detained by the Japanese coast guard.
The protesters were armed with placards against the construction of the airfield, including the words: “No new base in Henoko!” And “Bring out all bases (from Okinawa)!”.
Work on filling the soil in the sea at Henoko is planned to start in August