Politics in Japan is often dominated by established figures, but 27-year-old Jinshiro Motoyama masterminded this month's Okinawa referendum on the national government's plan to relocate a longstanding but controversial US air base
In a country where politics is dominated by established middle-aged politicians, the 27-year-old Okinawa native is a university student with no party affiliations.But Motoyama has disrupted the norm. He masterminded this month's Okinawa referendum on the national government's plan to relocate a longstanding but controversial United States air base within Japan's southernmost prefecture.Okinawa was occupied by the Americans after World War II, and only reverted to Japan in 1972.
In January, Motoyama staged a five-day hunger strike after his home region of Ginowan and four other Okinawan municipalities opted out of the referendum because their assemblies refused to fund it. He had read about how Okinawans used hunger strikes as a protest tactic while under US rule. "I carried out my hunger strike in front of the mayoral office in Ginowan," Motoyama said. In the end, Ginowan and the other municipalities took part.
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