Nipponica

The Kyoto Prefecture city of Kyotango on July 31 called for confirmation of the facts surrounding a joint Japan-U.S. military exercise that went ahead at a U.S. base in the city without prior notification to local officials.

One resident near the communications site expressed their concerns, stating, "The most serious issue is that the joint Japan-U.S. exercise was conducted on the front lines without (Japanese) defense authorities being informed. This is a grave situation. Conducting drills without defense authorities' knowledge is unacceptable under civilian control. I want the facts to be thoroughly investigated and publicly released."

While the local civilian government should have definitely been notified about such an exercise, I can't help but smile at the mainland Japanese getting a taste of what Okinawa has had to endure for almost a century of de jure and de facto US rule.