The activists, armed with placards and banners, went to sea on seventy boats and ships. The posters read: “Do not build a base” and “Stop throwing gravel”. Protesters urged the Japanese authorities to stop the expansion of the US military presence on the island.
Some of the boats went to the guarded construction site, where they came across the Coast Guard patrol vessels. Some activists were arrested for invading a prohibited zone.
The planned airfield on the Japanese island will be used for the US Marine Corps. The aerodrome was decided to be transferred from the city in connection with the possible threat of air incidents.