Greetings!

Continuing four ongoing feature, we examine the latest developments in the contemporary Battle of Okinawa.

As the Japanese government intensifies its crackdown on demonstrators blocking construction of the new base in Okinawa,  Jon Mitchell reports on a series of accusations against activists by US Marines and government officials as well as the unprecedented arrest of three peace campaigners orchestrated by the Marines. Justin Jesty presents an exploration of the 1960s Anpo protests through the photographs of Hamaya Hiroshi. His work is a vivid reminder of the breadth and dynamism of grassroots movements in early postwar Japan. This dynamism, once centered in Tokyo, is now  best seen in the contemporary anti-base struggle in Okinawa. The Korean claim over Dokdo/Takeshima dates to the sixth century; in 1905, the Meiji government claimed it as Japanese, a year of great significance as Japan then laid claim to the Korean peninsula. Yŏng-ho Ch'oe looks at the history of the disputed piece of land, detailing why the issues are so important for Koreans and calling for reconciliation between  neighboring states.