〔イラン・プレスＴＶ動画〕普天間を現地取材（英語音声）

US Occupying JAPAN - Okinawa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbuaG9Ot_So

Several dozens of Japanese demonstrators have marched through the streets of Tokyo to protest the presence of the US military in their country.

The protesters demanded the removal of a controversial US airbase on the southern island of Okinawa.

The rally took place ahead of a major demonstration on the island scheduled to be held on Sunday.

The Sunday demonstration is expected to attract up to 100,000 protesters near Kadena Air Base, which is the largest US military facility in the Asia Pacific region.

Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Saturday reiterated his previous stance toward US plans to build a new airbase in Okinawa's coastal area of Henoko, expressing strong objection.

The Japanese official's opposition to the 2006 plan comes after US daily The Washington Post reported earlier that Tokyo would accept the proposal.

Some 47,000 US troops are based in Japan, with more than half of the soldiers stationed in Okinawa.

In line with its relatively less friendly policies toward Washington in comparison to its predecessors, Hatoyama's government has warned that the US base could be moved off the island or even out of the country.