More than 30,000 people rallied in Japan's southern Okinawa island Sunday against plans to relocate a U.S. air base to another area on the island, demanding that the facility be moved outside the country, a news report said.

Organizers said an estimated 35,000 people participated in the two-hour rally in the city of Ginowan, site of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station, Kyodo News agency said.

"The city of Ginowan strongly demands that Futenma ... be shut down immediately and relocated outside of Japan," Ginowan Mayor Yoichi Iha was quoted by Kyodo as saying.

The air station is expected to be moved to the Okinawan city of Nago under a joint U.S.-Japan plan to realign American forces in Japan.

Sunday's rally was organized by opposition parties from the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly, labor unions and grassroots groups, Kyodo said.

Ginowan city officials were unavailable for comment Sunday.

The plan to move the base -- agreed to by Tokyo and Washington in October -- also calls for the transfer of 7,000 Marines from Okinawa over six years to the U.S. territory Guam and the shifting of some operations to other cities on Japan's main islands.

Okinawa hosts about half of the 50,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan and residents have long protested crowding, noise and crime associated with the bases.

In late February, some 8,000 people in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, protested against the possible transfer from Okinawa to the city of a U.S. air tanker fleet.

If they didn't cause so much trouble then it wouldn't be a big deal. The US military personel on okinawa are a big source of crime and that's why the people want the base moved.

Since japan isn't allowed to have a military beyond a small defense force then yes it's necessary to have the americans for protection. I just wish thet would behave themselves better.

^ Well, maintaining an army is expensive. Nothing like free bodyguard service.

I suppose...still, it must be pretty humiliating for the Japanese to have another country protect them whereas 60 years ago, they were very much feared, a terrible force to behold and the reason why the Americans decided to nuke two of their cities rather than go through an all out invasion.

Yeah, I keep hearing that the servicemen there mostly cause trouble and noise for the local community. Are they really even needed in Japan to protect or what? What do you Japanese think, are the American soldiers necessary in your country, or should they leave? I personally think some should probably stay but they should reduce the number of soldiers there.

Why are American soldiers even in Japan in the first place, to protect it from China and/or North Korea? An excuse for them to check out Japanese culture, what is it?

Wonder how American's for instance would feel about having foreign bases in their country, I wouldn't like it at all.

^ They're quite advanced, but they've stucked to mainly defensive crap. Considering the wealth of the country, I'm sure they can militarize quite quickly and relive their past adventures in Asia.

^ There is a growing nationalism in Japan. Anything could happen.

Back on topic, Japan should be able to decide its own military though. It is a soverign country and should be able to do whatever the fu-k it wants so as long as they don't d!ck with other countries. Build nukes for all I care.

^ I'd rather just pw0n the island.

^ I don't really care.

^ Well I don't.

Luckily for most people, I don't have any power in China, and the "evil" CCP call the shots. So far they've been surprisingly tame on the whole issue.

^ They are only tame because they know the world is watching them during these crucial years. We will see how they behave in the decades to come.

^ It was the Europeans who forced China to go into the nationalist movement. The Japanese helped the CCP get into power, because they were brutal as hell and chased after the KMT. The CCP took advantage of this third party distraction to gain power, gain the admiration of the people, and then take care of both the KMT and the Japanese.

As Ive stated before HuJinTao. Time will show china's true colors.

Yeah, Ogumo is Japanese.

so he thinks china is evil

I don't think people are getting the point.

China doesn't need to start a war to start up its own hegemony. It only needs to do it U.S. style, meaning setting up "alliances" where it can strong-arm countries to signing up treaties and agreements where China has the upper hand.

In this day and age, this kind of thing isn't really regarded as 'evil' because that's what businesses do these days.

The U.S.'s subtle with how they go about with their politics and world affairs. That's exactly what China will do. Maybe not as complex as the Americans, but certainly not to a point where they'll launch missiles and flaunt their power as show and tell.

Mark my words. China's "free" trade agreement with the SEA was made to help pave way for Chinese economic dominance in that region. Other "free" trade agreements that follow will do exactly the same.
Well, he's just 1 guy compared to the 754392763458762348650924376592743827304957868716234 Chinese who wants Japan nuked to ashes

are you chinese or japanese?

100% Canto-Australian

oh i see. ur alias confused me

He's half-japanese.

It's up to the Japanese.

Frankly, no country really should be able to tell Japan to limit it's military. It's a soverign country after all.