March 12, 2024

Dockworkers went on strike on March 11 at Ishigaki Port (Okinawa Pref.) in protest against the port call of the U.S. Navy missile destroyer Rafael Peralta.

The All Japan Dockworker’s Union (JDU) Okinawa regional headquarters explains that the strike will continue until the vessel’s scheduled departure on March 14.

The JDU had declared that if the USS Rafael Peralta came into port, they would go on strike. The Okinawa prefectural government had also requested that the vessel refrain from entering the port.

Angry Ishigaki islanders staged a protest in front of the pier gate, shouting in chorus, “No port entry! No warship on the island!”

Japanese Communist Party Ishigaki City Assemblyperson Inoue Michiko took part in this action and criticized the city mayor for giving permission for the U.S. crew to land. She said, “The mayor, as port administrator, should have refused to allow the military use of the port.”

A woman, who said she has a relative who works at Ishigaki Port, said, “Each time a warship visits the port, he is caught in the middle between fellow islanders and his duties, and seems to be tormented.”