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Okinawa votes against new US military base
Two men read a local newspaper in Okinawa reporting on the referendum today
EXIT polls showed Okinawans voted against plans for a new US military base at Henoko in the Japanese prefecture today.
The vote is not legally binding on the Japanese government of Shinzo Abe, which has insisted the construction of the new US base will go ahead whether Okinawans want it or not.
But it will increase the pressure from peace campaigners and could see the Okinawan government pursue a number of options to delay or block construction, with landfill due to begin at the end of this year.
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