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February 07, 2006

Not a Town You Often See in the News

...my birthplace, prior to my two WESTPACS there as a Marine. Usually when you see us wrangling with the Japanese, Okinawa is the setting.

Iwakuni to hold plebiscite on US aircraft relocation
The western Japanese city of Iwakuni will hold a plebiscite in March asking citizens if they are willing to accept the relocation of US carrier-borne aircraft to the Iwakuni Marine base.

Although the plebiscite, which was announced on Tuesday, is non-binding, rejection would come as a huge embarrassment to Japan's national government.


And they've agreed to a nuclear carrier in Yokosuka. That's a 'sea' change.

Posted by tree hugging sister at February 7, 2006 10:00 AM

Comments

I hope they go for it. Japanese hate to be embarassed.
I was born in Fukuoka. I don't even know if the base is still there. I'm stuffing my face with konpeito candy right now.

Posted by: Cindermutha at February 7, 2006 10:41 PM

Oh my God, you weren't?! How cool is that? I was a great disappointment ~ practically a mortal embarassment to my aunt, who was only 10 years older than me. She'd told all her friends about her little Japanese niece ~ born in Japan, HAD to be almond eyed, raven haired, n'est pas? ~ and then when we got back to the States. Blonde, blue-eyed baby girl, vice exotic occidental. She didn't speak to my mother for weeks.

Posted by: tree hugging sister at February 8, 2006 12:22 AM

That's too funny! My mother is Japanese, and I wound up having reddish blond hair and big round eyes with a little asian tweak in the corner. People in Japan thought she was the housekeeper since I didn't match.

Posted by: Cindermutha at February 8, 2006 05:58 PM