Protests in Okinawa over presence of US bases
Print Edition
TENS of thousands of protesters gathered in Okinawa yesterday, angered at the continuing presence of US military bases on the Japanese island. Many wore black in mourning for a local woman who had been raped and killed. An American contractor has been arrested in connection with the case.
A rally in Naha, the island’s capital, called for a review of the US-Japanese agreement under which Okinawa hosts the bulk of American troops in Japan. Also contentious is a plan to relocate a Marine Corps air station to a less-populated part of the southwestern island. The plan developed after the rape of a girl by three American servicemen in 1995.
The killing of the woman, whose body was found last month, set off outrage on Okinawa, where tensions periodically run high over crime linked to American troops. The US contractor, a former Marine, was arrested on May 19 on suspicion of abandoning her body, but has not yet been charged with killing her.
Island Governor Takeshi Onaga told the crowd at the Naha rally that he wanted to apologize to the woman for failing to protect her, even after what happened in 1995.
“We had pledged never to repeat such an incident,” he said. “I couldn’t change the political system to prevent that. That is my utmost regret as a politician and as governor of Okinawa.”
About 65,000 people attended the rally. Many held signs demanding the Marines leave and the overall military on Okinawa be scaled back.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government is behind the security agreement with the US, and wants Japan to take on a bigger military role on the international stage. But those at the rally disagree.
“This is not how we want the country to be,” said university student Jinshiro Motoyama. “We want the bases gone.”
A rally was also held in front of the prime minister’s residence in Tokyo, drawing about 10,000 people.
The US military has tried to ease tensions on Okinawa, and says the crime rate among its ranks is lower than among the general public.
Earlier this month, the US Navy imposed a drinking ban after an American sailor was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving on Okinawa, driving the wrong way on a freeway and crashing into two vehicles, injuring two people. The restriction was recently eased.
Last month, Lawrence Nicholson, commanding general of Marine Forces Japan, stressed the importance of the bilateral alliance. “Please do not allow this terrible act of violence to drive a wedge between our two communities,” he said, referring to the woman’s death.
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