ISTANBUL 

Two people were killed after two boats taking part in a protest against the relocation of a US military base capsized off the coast of Henoko in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture on Monday, local media reported.

The incident occurred in waters off Henoko in the city of Nago, where construction work is underway to relocate US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.

A total of 21 people were onboard, including 18 students who were on the vessels as part of their peace education curriculum.

The deceased include a 17-year-old female student and a 71-year-old captain of one of the boats.

More than a dozen others sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

The Japan Coast Guard and local fire departments launched search-and-rescue operations while investigating the details of the accident.

The island province of Okinawa hosts a number of US bases.

Protesters often use boats and canoes to express their opposition to the planned relocation of a US Marine Corps air base in the prefecture.

This relocation plan dates back to 1996, when Japan and the United States agreed to return the land occupied by the US military in the Futenma district following nationwide outrage over the 1995 gang rape of a 12-year-old schoolgirl in Okinawa by three US servicemen.

According to the accord signed between the two sides, the US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma will be moved to the Henoko district.

Locals claim they have suffered US military-related problems, including noise, crime and accidents.

Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki’s administration has won several legal battles against the central government over the relocation of the base.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government on Monday insisted that the Futenma base’s “relocation to Henoko is the only solution.”

If the construction progresses, it is expected to take 12 years for the US air base to become fully operational.