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WORLD NEWS Saturday 10 November 2018

Okinawa governor wants US to know burden of hosting bases

By MARI YAMAGUCHI the east coast. reduce the burden of the
Associated Press Many Okinawans say the bases and build peace.
TOKYO (AP) — The outspo- presence of so many U.S. We call for deepening of
ken governor of Japan's troops on the island is bur- their relationship and effort
Okinawa island said Friday densome and they want to achieve those goals," Ta-
he will meet with American the Futenma base moved maki said.
officials next week to con- off the island entirely. He said Japan's central
vey the frustration of resi- Tamaki, during an earlier government should nego-
dents from hosting U.S. mili- visit to Tokyo in mid-Octo- tiate with the U.S. in Okina-
tary bases on the southern ber, urged Prime Minister wa's interest. "As the central
island. Shinzo Abe and other top government is not deliver-
Denny Tamaki said he will officials to stop the Henoko ing Okinawans' voice to
meet with officials in Wash- plan and reduce Okinawa's the U.S. side, it is now my re-
ington and speak at New burden. Despite his request sponsibility to convey that
York University during his and Okinawans' opposi- directly to the Americans
Nov. 11-16 trip. tion, Abe's government last and they have a responsi-
"I hope to speak directly to week resumed construc- bility to listen to us," Tamaki
American citizens and con- Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki speaks during a press conference tion work at the disputed said.
vey my views representing at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ) in Tokyo, site at Henoko. He has said he supports
Okinawa and have a dis- Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. The construction reignited the Japan-U.S. security al-
cussion about democracy," Associated Press anger on the island, and Ta- liance, but that Okinawa
Tamaki told a packed news maki said he is determined should not be the only
conference in Tokyo. U.S. soon after his election to the U.S. public. to block its completion. place forced to sacrifice.
Tamaki took office Oct. 4 so that the voices of voters At the center of conten- "Okinawa is working hard Tamaki has also called for a
after campaigning for the would be heard. tion is a decades-old plan toward peace building, review of the Status of Forc-
closure of a disputed U.S. Tamaki, the first person to move a Marine Corps and based on that per- es Agreement that gives
base on Okinawa and a with an American parent air station from densely spective we call on the privileges to the U.S. mili-
reduction of the American to lead Okinawa, said his populated Futenma in the Japanese government tary, including some immu-
military presence there. He roots make him a perfect southern part of the island and the United States gov- nity from Japanese criminal
said he wanted to visit the figure to relay the message to less-crowded Henoko on ernment to look at ways to investigation. q
Fire kills at least 7 at dormitory-style housing in S. Korea

By HYUNG-JIN KIM building's third floor, Kwon structures. The official, who
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Hyeok-min, chief of Seoul's didn't want to be named,
A fire that likely blocked a Jongno District Fire Station, citing office rules, said it
crucial exit at a low-cost told reporters. The facility's was unclear whether the
dormitory-style housing fa- residents were mostly man- building's smoke detector
cility in central Seoul killed ual laborers who made worked.
at least seven people and their living on day-to-day The facility, called "goshi-
injured 11 others on Friday, jobs, he said. won" in Korean, is where
according to fire authori- "It was dawn and the exit poor workers relying on
ties who were investigating door was likely blocked, construction jobs or student
possible safety lapses in the so it would have been dif- preparing for bar exams or
building. ficult (for the residents) to civil service exams stay in
The blaze has been extin- escape," Kwon said. individual rooms with tiny
guished, but it's possible Another official from the sleep and study spaces.
that the death toll could Jongno station said the Budget travelers also often
rise, officials at the Seoul facility, which was built in stay in such facilities.
Metropolitan Fire and Di- 1983, did not have sprin- South Korean media re- South Korean firefighters check the site of a fire in Seoul, South
saster Headquarters said. klers because current safe- ported that most of the vic- Korea, Friday, Nov. 9, 2018.
The fire probably started ty regulations can't be ret- tims were manual laborers Associated Press
near an exit door on the roactively applied to older in their 40s to 60s. q