Keishi Koja
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Keishi Koja
@keishirkoja.bsky.social
Okinawa-based reporter and translator for Stars and Stripes.
Okinawa police accuse US Navy sailor of inappropriately touching teenage girl www.stripes.com/theaters/asi...
Okinawa police accuse US Navy sailor of inappropriately touching teenage girl
Police have accused a U.S. Navy sailor on Okinawa of inappropriately touching a Japanese girl over the summer.
www.stripes.com
November 19, 2025 at 12:53 PM
A U.S. Marine in a Japanese court Tuesday denied sexually assaulting a Japanese woman on a Marine Corps base but admitted injuring another woman during the March incident.

Read more at: www.stripes.com/branches/mar...
Source - Stars and Stripes
Marine in court denies sexually assaulting woman in gym restroom on Okinawa base
A U.S. Marine in a Japanese court denied sexually assaulting a Japanese woman on a Marine Corps base but admitted injuring another woman.
www.stripes.com
November 18, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Chinese coast guard enters Senkaku waters after Japan warns it may use force
Chinese coast guard enters Senkaku waters after Japan warns it may use force
Four Chinese vessels crossed into waters Japan claims as its territorial limit around the  Senkaku Islands.
www.stripes.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Tokyo says no to Okinawa’s funding request for ‘forever chemical’ cleanup
Tokyo says no to Okinawa’s funding request for ‘forever chemical’ cleanup
Japan’s Ministry of Defense has rejected a request from Okinawa’s governor for new filters to remove PFAS from a water purification plant in Okinawa.
www.stripes.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Airfield repairs could soon resolve Okinawa parachute jump training dispute
Airfield repairs could soon resolve Okinawa parachute jump training dispute
Repairs to an airfield in Okinawa could help resolve a parachute jump training dispute.
www.stripes.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Reposted by Keishi Koja
Only a dozen or so U.S. service members in civilian attire were spotted among the teeming revelers still celebrating Halloween on the streets of Naha’s nightlife district early Saturday.
First military police patrol of Okinawa’s capital finds ‘real quiet’ streets
Only a dozen or so U.S. service members in civilian attire were spotted among the revelers celebrating Halloween in Naha’s nightlife district.
www.stripes.com
November 3, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Reposted by Keishi Koja
The Air Force on Monday identified Staff Sgt. Gregory Peterson as the airman who died last week from injuries sustained in a motorcycle collision two weeks earlier on Okinawa.
Airman who died after motorcycle collision served with mobility squadron on Okinawa
The U.S. Air Force identified the airman that died last week from injuries sustained in a motorcycle collision two weeks earlier.
www.stripes.com
November 3, 2025 at 2:57 AM
Kadena airman dies weeks after motorcycle collision on Okinawa
www.stripes.com
October 31, 2025 at 6:46 AM
Okinawa town unable to meet US base water request amid PFAS contamination
Okinawa town unable to meet US base water request amid PFAS contamination
Chatan town cannot immediately satisfy a request for additional water from Camp Lester, according to a town official.
www.stripes.com
October 29, 2025 at 7:33 AM
‘Just another day on the job’: Marines honored for aiding injured cyclist on Okinawa
‘Just another day on the job’: Marines honored for aiding injured cyclist on Okinawa
Five Marines in Okinawa were awarded commendations for assisting a Japanese man who had suffered a head injury after an accident.
www.stripes.com
October 28, 2025 at 7:13 AM
Hegseth may visit Japan alongside Trump next week for talks with new defense chief
Hegseth may visit Japan alongside Trump next week for talks with new defense chief
Pete Hegseth may make a second trip to Japan as defense secretary to meet with the country’s new defense minister.
www.stripes.com
October 24, 2025 at 8:40 AM
US military police to start solo patrols of Okinawa’s capital city next month
US military police to start solo patrols of Okinawa’s capital city next month
U.S. military police will expand solo patrols to Okinawa prefecture’s capital, Naha city, continuing an effort to stem crime by service members.
www.stripes.com
October 23, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Service member found safe after solo hike on off-limits volcano in northern Japan
Service member found safe after solo hike on off-limits volcano in northern Japan
A U.S. service member was rescued after going missing on Mount Iwate, a volcano that has been closed to hikers since October 2024 due to volcanic activity.
www.stripes.com
October 22, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Chinese coast guard ends record 335-day stay near Japan’s Senkaku Islands
Chinese coast guard ends record 335-day stay near Japan’s Senkaku Islands
Chinese coast guard vessels ended a record presence in waters near the disputed Senkaku Islands, according to the Japanese coast guard.
www.stripes.com
October 22, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Japan detonated 13 tons of WWII-era ordnance on Okinawa last fiscal year
Japan detonated 13 tons of WWII-era ordnance on Okinawa last fiscal year
Unexploded ordnance from the 1945 Battle of Okinawa continues to turn up across the island prefecture.
www.stripes.com
October 17, 2025 at 7:01 AM
Mayor rejects US military request to expand joint patrols into Okinawa’s capital
Mayor rejects US military request to expand joint patrols into Okinawa’s capital
Naha Mayor, Satoru Chinen, has rejected plans by the U.S. military to expand joint police patrols into the Okinawa municipality.
www.stripes.com
October 17, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Marines to fire HIMARS for first time at training area near Mount Fuji
Marines to fire HIMARS for first time at training area near Mount Fuji
The Marine Corps plans to fire the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System for the first time at a training range near Mount Fuji, according to USFJ.
www.stripes.com
October 16, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Ninth blaze of year burns at Marine Corps rifle range on Okinawa
Ninth blaze of year burns at Marine Corps rifle range on Okinawa
A fire on Oct. 10 scorched about 400,000 square feet at a Marine Corps rifle range in northern Okinawa on Range 2 at Camp Hansen.
www.stripes.com
October 16, 2025 at 8:31 AM
Shelter-in-place lifted at Kadena after ordnance discovery near historic building
Shelter-in-place lifted at Kadena after ordnance discovery near historic building
Some people living at Kadena Air Base on Okinawa sheltered in place for about an hour after unexploded ordnance was discovered near one of the installation’s oldest buildings.
www.stripes.com
October 14, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Beijing scales back airspace challenges but boosts drone activity, Tokyo says
Beijing scales back airspace challenges but boosts drone activity, Tokyo says
Japan Air Self-Defense Force pilots scrambled 265 times to meet foreign aircraft from April to September, down from 358 during the same period last year.
www.stripes.com
October 14, 2025 at 8:10 AM
American troops join locals for Okinawa’s centuries-old tug-of-war festival
American troops join locals for Okinawa’s centuries-old tug-of-war festival
Hundreds of thousands of people, including U.S. service members, watched and took part in Naha’s annual Tug-of-War festival on Okinawa.
www.stripes.com
October 14, 2025 at 6:41 AM
Reposted by Keishi Koja
PACIFIC TRAVEL | Experience a lesser-known side of the Okinawa region on Ishigaki Island, the largest island in Japan's Ryukyu chain that stretches south almost to Taiwan.

The white sand beaches and emerald green waters put the tropical scenery on another level. (from @keishirkoja.bsky.social)
Experience a lesser-known side of Okinawa on Ishigaki Island
Take a multi-day trip to Ishigaki in Okinawa’s Ryukyu islands and see natural beauty as well as historical buildings.
www.stripes.com
October 11, 2025 at 4:27 AM
Reposted by Keishi Koja
The Okinawa Military Housing Office has delayed repair work on spalled concrete at housing towers on this Marine Corps base after discovering asbestos in some balconies, according to the 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base.
Asbestos found in cracking balconies at Okinawa Marine base; repairs pushed to late fall
The Okinawa Military Housing Office has delayed repair work on spalled concrete at housing towers after discovering asbestos in some balconies.
www.stripes.com
October 10, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Air Force Osprey makes precautionary landing at Japanese air base
Air Force Osprey makes precautionary landing at Japanese air base
A U.S. Air Force tiltrotor aircraft assigned to Yokota Air Base made a precautionary landing at a Japan Air Self-Defense Force base.
www.stripes.com
October 6, 2025 at 6:28 AM
Work on Marine Corps airfield in northern Okinawa resumes after 4-month pause
Work on Marine Corps airfield in northern Okinawa resumes after 4-month pause
Construction on a new Marine Corps airfield in northern Okinawa has resumed after a four-month pause due to weather concerns, with no further delays expected.
www.stripes.com
October 3, 2025 at 3:34 AM