On June 24, Major General Stephen Liszewski took office as new commanding general of Marine Corps Installations Pacific (MCIPAC), which oversees U.S. Marine bases located in Okinawa Prefecture. After attending a personnel change ceremony held at Camp Zukeran (Kita Nakagusuku Village), the new commanding general said in response to a question from Ryukyu Shimpo, “We will conduct training to ensure we can address regional concerns.” He also expressed his desire to promote cooperation with the Self-Defense Forces.

Since the beginning of the year, a number of aircraft have flown into the U.S. Naha Port Facility, which is located next to a residential area, drawing protests from the prefecture and local communities. On this, Liszenwski commented, “I believe these operations were conducted in line with the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement.”

The MCIPAC oversees MCAS Iwakuni and bases in Hawaii, in addition to facilities in Okinawa.