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Indigenous community haunted by U.S., Canadian military presence in Japan

Published

10 months ago

December 7, 2023

The presence of U.S. military bases on the Japanese island of Okinawa, regularly used by Canadian Armed Forces members, is coming under criticism from locals who are Indigenous to those lands.

“It’s clear our message is dialogue is the most important,” anti-war activist Chobin Zukeran told Global News.

The island is important to the U.S. as it serves as a strategic hub for its military operations in the Pacific, especially as China’s presence expands and the North Korean nuclear missile threat grows in the region.

The location of Okinawa, about an hour’s flight east of Taiwan, also makes it critical to any U.S. military response if China were to attack Taiwan.

However, American bases occupy around eight per cent of the prefecture and nearly 15 per cent of the main island, causing indignation among locals like Zukeran, a former mayor of the city of Nanjō, and a past member of the Japanese House of Representatives.

He is calling on the Canadian and U.S. militaries to have a conversation about their concerns.

“Before WWII in 1945, there were no military bases in Okinawa so I would like to see Okinawa without military bases; how would that be?”

Zukeran spoke with Global News from Peace Memorial Park, where he says the names of his relatives, including his grandfather, are listed. The park honours the lives of those who died in the Battle of Okinawa, including nearly 150,000 Okinawans, about a third of the island’s Indigenous population.

It was the last major battle of the Second World War and one of the bloodiest, fought between U.S. allied troops, including from Canada, and Japanese forces.

“The people didn’t have to die and they died in vain,” Zukeran said.

Zukeran says what complicates the fight to reduce military presence on the island is that Japan doesn’t officially recognize Indigenous Ryukuyans.

“We don’t have any recognition from the government so that makes it really hard for us to talk about our human rights,” said Shinako Oyakawa, an activist who identifies as Indigenous Okinawan.

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The central government in Japan argues Ryukuyans are Japanese citizens, not Indigenous peoples. Okyakawa says there’s little justification for that claim. She believes there’s strong strategic motivation as Japan’s recognition of Indigenous Okinawan rights could put the country’s national security at risk.

“Some people say the presence of U.S. or any kinds of military bases in Okinawa is protecting Okinawa but we don’t think so. The presence of military bases in our island makes us a target,” Okinawa International University economics professor Masaki Tomochi said.

While onboard a Canadian Armed Forces mission which departed from the U.S.-run Okinawa military base, Global News asked Naval Capt. Robert Watt about the issues raised by Indigenous Okinawans.

“It’s certainly not something we have a position on. Like in a lot of issues, there’s multiple sides to that. The U.S. is also a major employer, a very significant employer in Okinawa,” Watt said on the Oct. 16 flight as part of Operation NEON to enforce United Nations Sanctions against North Korea.

“We work very, very closely with the Americans and the Japanese, the Japanese self-defence force […] They’re extremely aware of the sensitivities and this is something that comes up a lot.”

Maj.-Gen. Iaian Huddleston pointed to the broader Japanese perception of the U.S. military being positive.

“Particularly given the rise of China in the area and the fact that Japan feels threatened. The acts of North Korea are also quite significant in that regard in terms of giving the Japanese pause and reason to be somewhat concerned,” Huddleston said.

Huddleston said he doesn’t believe Canada has a direct role to play in any discussions about the issue but there is room for supporting any U.S. engagement with Indigenous Okinawans. He also highlighted the military’s reconciliation efforts in Canada.

“I think the Canadian Armed Forces is very focused in some very positive ways on creating more and stronger links with our Indigenous people. Just recently, we helped repatriate a totem pole from Scotland to the B.C. coast,” he said.

Tomochi believes Canada needs to be part of a dialogue about the impact of the bases on locals. He points to chemical contamination, noise pollution and crimes committed by U.S. servicemen.

“We want our peaceful island back,” Tomochi said, adding, “I want Canada not to invade our rights.”

As Canada and other countries commit to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People around the world, Zukeran says Japan needs to rethink both its national security and how it recognizes its national history.

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Langford, Heim lead Rangers to wild 13-8 win over Blue Jays

Published

20 mins ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Rookie Wyatt Langford homered, doubled twice and became the first Texas player this season to reach base five times, struggling Jonah Heim delivered a two-run single to break a sixth-inning tie and the Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 13-8 on Tuesday night.

Leody Taveras also had a homer among his three hits for the Rangers.

Langford, who also walked twice, has 12 homers and 25 doubles this season. He is hitting .345 in September.

“I think it’s really important to finish on a strong note,” Langford said. “I’m just going to keep trying to do that.”

Heim was 1-for-34 in September before he lined a single to right field off Tommy Nance (0-2) to score Adolis García and Nathaniel Lowe, giving Texas a 9-7 lead. Heim went to the plate hitting .212 with 53 RBIs after being voted an All-Star starter last season with a career-best 95 RBIs. He added a double in the eighth ahead of Taveras’ homer during a three-run inning.

Texas had 13 hits and left 13 men on. It was the Rangers’ highest-scoring game since a 15-8 win at Oakland on May 7.

Matt Festa (5-1) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win, giving him a 5-0 record in 13 appearances with the Rangers after being granted free agency by the New York Mets on July 7.

Nathan Eovaldi, a star of Texas’ 2023 run to the franchise’s first World Series championship, had his worst start of the year in what could have been his final home start with the Rangers. Eovaldi, who will be a free agent next season, allowed 11 hits (the most of his two seasons with Texas) and seven runs (tied for the most).

“I felt like early in the game they just had a few hits that found the holes, a few first-pitch base hits,” said Eovaldi, who is vested for a $20 million player option with Texas for 2025. “I think at the end of the day I just need to do a better job of executing my pitches.”

Eovaldi took a 7-3 lead into the fifth inning after the Rangers scored five unearned runs in the fourth. The Jays then scored four runs to knock out Eovaldi after 4 2/3 innings.

Six of the seven runs scored against Toronto starter Chris Bassitt in 3 2/3 innings were unearned. Bassitt had a throwing error during Texas’ two-run third inning.

“We didn’t help ourselves defensively, taking care of the ball to secure some outs,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.

The Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a double and two singles, his most hits in a game since having four on Sept. 3. Guerrero is hitting .384 since the All-Star break.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: SS Bo Bichette (calf) was activated and played for the first time since July 19, going 2 for 5 with an RBI. … OF Daulton Varsho (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day injured list and will have rotator cuff surgery … INF Will Wagner (knee inflammation) was placed on the 60-day list.

UP NEXT

Rangers: LHP Chad Bradford (5-3, 3.97 ERA) will pitch Wednesday night’s game on extended five days’ rest after allowing career highs in hits (nine), runs (eight) and home runs (three) in 3 2/3 innings losing at Arizona on Sept. 14.

Blue Jays: RHP Bowden Francis (8-4, 3.50) has had two no-hitters get away in the ninth inning this season, including in his previous start against the New York Mets on Sept. 11. Francis is the first major-leaguer to have that happen since Rangers Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan in 1989.

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AP MLB:

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Billie Jean King set to earn another honor with the Congressional Gold Medal

Published

1 hour ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

WASHINGTON (AP) — Billie Jean King will become the first individual female athlete to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey announced Tuesday that their bipartisan legislation had passed the House of Representatives and would be sent to President Joe Biden for his signature.

The bill to honor King, the tennis Hall of Famer and activist, had already passed unanimously in the Senate.

Sherrill, a Democrat, said in a statement that King’s “lifetime of advocacy and hard work changed the landscape for women and girls on the court, in the classroom, and the workplace.”

The bill was introduced last September on the 50th anniversary of King’s victory over Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes,” still the most-watched tennis match of all-time. The medal, awarded by Congress for distinguished achievements and contributions to society, has previously been given to athletes including baseball players Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente, and golfers Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson and Arnold Palmer.

King had already been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Fitzpatrick, a Republican, says she has “broken barriers, led uncharted paths, and inspired countless people to stand proudly with courage and conviction in the fight for what is right.”

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Account tweaks for young Instagram users ‘minimum’ expected by B.C., David Eby says

Published

1 hour ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

SURREY, B.C. – Premier David Eby says new account control measures for young Instagram users introduced Tuesday by social media giant Meta are the “minimum” expected of tech companies to keep kids safe online.

The parent company of Instagram says users in Canada and elsewhere under 18 will have their accounts set to private by default starting Tuesday, restricting who can send messages, among other parental controls and settings.

Speaking at an unrelated event Tuesday, Eby says the province began talks with social media companies after threatening legislation that would put big tech companies on the hook for “significant potential damages” if they were found negligent in failing to keep kids safe from online predators.

Eby says the case of Carson Cleland, a 12-year-old from Prince George, B.C., who took his own life last year after being targeted by a predator on Snapchat, was “horrific and totally preventable.”

He says social media apps are “nothing special,” and should be held to the same child safety standards as anyone who operates a place that invites young people, whether it’s an amusement park, a playground or an online platform.

In a progress report released Tuesday about the province’s engagement with big tech companies including Google, Meta, TikTok, Spapchat and X, formerly known as Twitter, the provincial government says the companies are implementing changes, including a “trusted flagger” option to quickly remove intimate images.

— With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024

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