In brief: Governor calls for U.S. base solution
TOKYO – Okinawa’s governor, who was re-elected after campaigning for the removal of an unpopular U.S. Marine base from the Japanese island, called on the entire country to work together to resolve the issue that has strained the U.S.-Japan security alliance.
Hirokazu Nakaima’s return to office will likely make it difficult for Tokyo to quickly move forward on a planned relocation of the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma despite the central government’s agreement with Washington. But with a more moderate stance than his challenger, there may still be a sliver of hope that a compromise can be worked out.
“The U.S. military (stationed in Japan) is not only for Okinawa, but also for all of Japan,” Nakaima said in his victory speech late Sunday. “I want the entire country to join the effort to find a way to resolve Futenma’s relocation.”
The 71-year-old Nakaima beat Yoichi Iha by less than 40,000 votes in a tight campaign in which the base relocation was a key issue.
A 2006 deal between the U.S. and Japan to move the base to a less crowded part of Okinawa has stalled because of public opposition. Nakaima once backed the relocation plan but now opposes it and wants to move it off Okinawa.
U.S. troops kill civilian driver
BAGHDAD – U.S. troops who thought they were under attack killed an Iraqi airport employee Sunday as he drove near a military convoy on his way to work, officials said.
The driver, identified by colleagues as Baghdad International Airport worker Karim Obaid Bardan, failed to heed repeated signals to slow down or turn on his headlights as he neared the military convoy, said U.S. and Iraqi security officials.
“As a result, the vehicle was perceived as a threat and a decision was made to engage it with small-arms fire in order to stop it and to protect the convoy from a possible attack,” said Army Col. Barry Johnson, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad.
The shooting is under U.S. investigation, and Johnson said the military “deeply regrets” the driver’s death.
District touts end of D grade
MOUNT OLIVE TOWNSHIP, N.J. – A New Jersey school district that eliminated the D grade for students says the change has been a success.
The new policy in Mount Olive took effect in September. It raised the failure score to anything under 70 instead of 65.
Superintendent Larrie Reynolds said the number of failing grades for middle and high school students dropped 42.5 percent in the first quarter. And more students earned A’s and B’s.
Reynolds had proposed the policy last summer, saying he was tired of kids getting credit for not learning.
But some school officials and teachers say it’s too early to declare the policy a success.
They note the new policy allows students to retake exams and redo assignments after initial failing grades, often bringing up their scores.