Okinawa legislature unanimously demands immediate halt to live-shell drills

Japan Press Weekly

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Okinawa legislature unanimously demands immediate halt to live-shell drills

The Okinawa Prefectural Assembly adopted a unanimous resolution on December 19 demanding that U.S. forces immediately halt their live-shell drills at an urban warfare training complex at U.S. Camp Hansen.

The action came in the aftermath of the discovery on December 13 of a stray bullet embedded in a license plate of a car parked at a house near U.S. Camp Hansen in Kin Town.

The resolution states that in Kin Town there have been many accidents caused by stray bullets from live-fire exercises at U.S. Marine Corps Camp Hansen, including a case in which a girl was shot in the thigh when a stray bullet hit her.

Regarding the recent case, the resolution said, “Residents living near U.S. Camp Hansen are in fear of their lives” and expressed strong opposition to U.S. live-shell drills that are routinely held at the shooting range at U.S. Camp Hansen located just a few hundred meters from a residential area. It urged the U.S. forces to stop live-fire exercises at Camp Hansen and to disclose full information about the incident. - Akahata, December 20, 2008