Water accident

Two people, including a high school student, died Monday after two boats carrying 21 people capsized in waters near a construction site for a controversial U.S. military base relocation in the Japanese island prefecture of Okinawa, according to a regional coast guard.
Doshisha International Junior and Senior High School in Kyoto Prefecture said 18 students were on the vessels as part of its peace education curriculum. The two boats have been used by protestors against the construction of a new base in the Henoko coastal area.
A 17-year-old female student, identified as Tomoka Takeishi, and the 71-year-old captain of one of the boats, Hajime Kanai, died, the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters said.
All 21 people were pulled out of the water, with at least two others injured, said first responders and other sources.
According to the school, around 270 students were visiting Okinawa Prefecture from Saturday through Tuesday, of whom 18 participated in the so-called Henoko course that includes rides on the protest boats.
A dozen people were aboard a 7.63-meter-long boat, while nine were aboard a 6.27-meter-long boat, on which Kanai was serving as skipper. The coast guard confirmed that 20 people were wearing life jackets and is checking whether Kanai was wearing one as well.
The two boats appear to have been overturned by a huge wave, the coast guard said.
Although the weather was clear, a high surf advisory had been issued at that time.
"It was a tragic accident. I am heartbroken," Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki told reporters.
The planned transfer of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from a crowded residential district in Ginowan to the less populated Henoko coastal area of Nago has long been controversial.
The relocation is intended to remove the dangers posed by the Futenma base. But many people in Okinawa, which hosts the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan, have called for the Futenma base to be removed from the prefecture altogether.
© KYODO