June 6, 2021

A rally in protest against the emergency landing of a U.S. military helicopter on Tsuken-jima Island in Okinawa's Uruma City took place at a park in the city on June 5.

The rally participants expressed anger at the repeated accidents involving U.S. military aircraft, the never-ending flights over residential areas and late-night flight exercises, and the Japanese government for not investigating the cause of accidents seriously.

A resolution was adopted at the rally, demanding the immediate suspension of military training drills which may result in crashes or emergency landings, the cancellation of parachute training exercises on the sea off Tsuken-jima Island, and drastic revisions of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement.

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Akamine Seiken, a Lower House member of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, and an Upper House member of the Okinawa Whirlwind participated in the rally and made speeches in solidarity.

Akamine said, "The land-use restriction bill currently under Diet discussions will even ask for the political beliefs of local landowners and residents living near military bases. What should be monitored are military bases, not people. And we, Okinawans, are the ones who keep military bases under surveillance. Let's work together tenaciously to get military bases removed from Okinawa!"

A military helicopter assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station on June 2 made a forced landing on farmland about 120 meters away from islanders' houses.

Past related article:
> JCP Akamine, regarding land-restriction bill, demands holding of hearings of residents living near bases [ May 27, 2021]