Okinawa legislators urge Diet to work to review Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement

A delegation of Okinawa's legislature made representations to the Diet and political parties on July 23, urging them to push ahead with the review of the Japan-U.S. Status of U.S. Forces Agreement (SOFA).

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi received the delegation led by Okinawa Prefectural Assembly Chair Iramina Kokichi and expressed his full support for their proposals.

The prefectural assembly on July 14 adopted two unanimous statements: one concerning the SOFA, and the other concerning the rape in June 2003 by a U.S. Marine in Okinawa.

The latter demands that the U.S. forces apologize and compensate the victim, tighten discipline, and take preventive measures within the forces in Okinawa, and reduce U.S. military bases in Okinawa, including the reduction of U.S. Marine Corps personnel.

Ichida said to the delegation: "It is now 60 years since World War II ended and yet foreign military bases exist in Japan, which is the root cause of such incidents. The JCP is resolved to fight against serious incidents as long as U.S. bases exist there."

Crimes like rape must not be settled just by "considerate" responses from the U.S. forces but should be dealt with as a serious matter affecting national sovereignty and basic human rights, Ichida stressed. He said that the JCP will make every effort to get the statement adopted by the Diet and as many local assemblies as possible. (end)