Defense & Security

Japan Designates U.S. Bases in Okinawa as Security-Linked Sites

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Osprey aircraft are seen at Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture.

Jiji Press

13:32 JST, March 30, 2024

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The Japanese government designated 184 sites in 28 of the country’s 47 prefectures as critical to national security in the fourth round of such designations on Friday.

U.S. military facilities in Okinawa Prefecture, including the Marine Corps’ Futenma air station, were designated for the first time.

The 184 sites also include Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s Fukushima No. 2 nuclear power plant, which is currently under decommissioning work.

In designated sites, the government is allowed to collect information on how the properties are used and crack down on activities that disrupt operations at the facilities concerned.