Mr Kishimoto will shortly resign as mayor, then put himself up for re-election.

ECONOMIST: How the Americans got their base

Mr Kishimoto has continued to squeeze the central government for handouts to buy yet more well-paid construction jobs for his hard-pressed community, one of the poorest in Japan.

ECONOMIST: How the Americans got their base

Along with Okinawa's governor, Keiichi Inamine, Mr Kishimoto is insisting that the lease on the helicopter base to be built in Nago next to an existing Marine Corps camp should be granted to the United States for no more than 15 years.

ECONOMIST: How the Americans got their base

Artists who contributed works to the riverside event -- which formed part of the week-long London Boat Show -- include the fashion duo Mark Eley and Wakako Kishimoto, portrait artist Christian Furr, as well as musician and actor, Goldie.

CNN: , for