2 dead after protest boats with students aboard capsize in Okinawa

TOKYO – Two people, including a high school student, died on March 16 after two boats carrying 21 people capsized off Henoko, a controversial site for a US military base relocation in Okinawa prefecture, Japan, according to a regional coast guard.

Doshisha International Junior/Senior High School in Kyoto prefecture, western Japan, said 18 students were on the vessels as part of its peace education curriculum. The two boats have been used by protesters against the construction of a new base in the Henoko coastal area.

A 17-year-old female student and the 71-year-old captain of one of the boats died, the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters said.

All 21 people were pulled out of the water, with at least two injured, according to the coast guard.

According to the school, around 270 students and staff were visiting Okinawa from March 14 to 17, and 18 participated in the so-called Henoko course, which includes rides on the protest boats.

A dozen people were aboard a 7.63m-long boat, while nine were aboard a 6.27m-long boat, on which the 71-year-old was serving as captain. The coast guard confirmed that 20 people had been wearing life jackets and was checking whether the captain was wearing one as well.

The two boats appear to have been overturned by a huge wave, the coast guard said. Although the weather was clear, a high surf advisory had been issued at the time.

“It was a tragic accident. I am heartbroken,” Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki told reporters.

The planned transfer of US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from a crowded residential district in Ginowan to the less populated Henoko coastal area of Nago has long been controversial.

The relocation is intended to remove the dangers posed by the Futenma base to surrounding residential areas. But many people in Okinawa, which hosts the bulk of US military facilities in Japan, have called for the Futenma base to be removed from the prefecture altogether. KYODO NEWS