TOKYO: A fire engulfed about 140 houses, shops and other buildings in a Japanese coastal city on Thursday, injuring five people but causing no deaths, a fire official said.
The military was called in to help battle the blaze, which started mid-morning in a residential area of Itoigawa, a city of 44,500 people 230 km northwest of Tokyo.
“The fire has lost its strength. As of 8:50 p.m., we decided there was little chance of its spreading further,” a local fire department official said, adding it would take hours more to put it out completely.
Five people suffered minor injuries and evacuation orders were issued for 363 houses nearby, he said.
In another development, Japan and the US marked a partial return of the land used by American troops to Okinawa in a ceremony Thursday on the southern island, but there was no sign the move was helping to lessen protests against the island’s heavy US military presence.
Nearly 10,000 acres, about half the plot of land, was returned to Okinawa in exchange for helipads for Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft being built nearby. Residents say the deal only transfers the burden.
US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy called the reversion “a milestone” in the US-Japan alliance in her speech at the ceremony in Nago. “This return will reduce our footprint by about 20 percent (of base facilities on Okinawa) and allow this pristine natural environment to be enjoyed by future generations of residents and visitors to Okinawa.” The land is a rich forest with rare birds and other fauna and flora and had been used as jungle training by US troops.
Demanding an unconditional land return and opposing Osprey deployment on the island, Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga boycotted the ceremony and joined a protest against the US military presence on the island, his choice highlighting differences between the central government and Okinawa.
At a rally held near the ceremony venue, Onaga told thousands of cheering people that the land return in exchange for a new US military facility is deceptive and is not reducing Okinawa’s burden.
“The land return ceremony one-sidedly held by the central government is nothing but a proof they have no intention whatsoever to be considerate of our suffering,” Onaga said. He renewed his demand that Ospreys be removed from Okinawa and that any US military base planned for a closure simply be returned and not relocated.
The military was called in to help battle the blaze, which started mid-morning in a residential area of Itoigawa, a city of 44,500 people 230 km northwest of Tokyo.
“The fire has lost its strength. As of 8:50 p.m., we decided there was little chance of its spreading further,” a local fire department official said, adding it would take hours more to put it out completely.
Five people suffered minor injuries and evacuation orders were issued for 363 houses nearby, he said.
In another development, Japan and the US marked a partial return of the land used by American troops to Okinawa in a ceremony Thursday on the southern island, but there was no sign the move was helping to lessen protests against the island’s heavy US military presence.
Nearly 10,000 acres, about half the plot of land, was returned to Okinawa in exchange for helipads for Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft being built nearby. Residents say the deal only transfers the burden.
US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy called the reversion “a milestone” in the US-Japan alliance in her speech at the ceremony in Nago. “This return will reduce our footprint by about 20 percent (of base facilities on Okinawa) and allow this pristine natural environment to be enjoyed by future generations of residents and visitors to Okinawa.” The land is a rich forest with rare birds and other fauna and flora and had been used as jungle training by US troops.
Demanding an unconditional land return and opposing Osprey deployment on the island, Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga boycotted the ceremony and joined a protest against the US military presence on the island, his choice highlighting differences between the central government and Okinawa.
At a rally held near the ceremony venue, Onaga told thousands of cheering people that the land return in exchange for a new US military facility is deceptive and is not reducing Okinawa’s burden.
“The land return ceremony one-sidedly held by the central government is nothing but a proof they have no intention whatsoever to be considerate of our suffering,” Onaga said. He renewed his demand that Ospreys be removed from Okinawa and that any US military base planned for a closure simply be returned and not relocated.
