March 17, 2016
Representatives of the Japanese Communist Party Okinawa Prefectural Committee visited the local offices of Japan’s Defense and Foreign ministries on March 16 to protest a U.S. seaman’s rape of a Japanese woman.
The protesters insisted that the assault is a heinous crime violating the woman’s dignity and human rights. They pushed for taking concrete preventive measures, banning U.S. servicemen from drinking outside their bases, providing the victim with appropriate care and compensation, and closing all U.S. bases in Okinawa which have become a “nest of crime”.
In the representations, JCP prefectural assemblyperson Nishime Sumie said, “The U.S. military authorities have repeated the phrase “tightening of discipline” like a parrot, but it has turned out to be of no use. In order to stamp out crimes committed by U.S. soldiers, it is essential to keep them on the bases and to then remove all U.S. military facilities from Okinawa.”
On the same day, in protest against the latest assault and the U.S. base construction in Henoko, many Okinawans staged a sit-in in front of the gate of U.S. Camp Schwab in Nago City.
All five JCP prefectural assemblypersons joined in the action. Toguchi Osamu, one of the five legislators, stressed in his speech that local residents’ courageous struggles have led to the Abe government’s recent order to suspend the construction work in Henoko. “Let’s continue to fight under the flag of justice,” he said.
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On March 16, Lieutenant General Lawrence Nicholson, the Okinawa-based top U.S. Marine in Japan, visited the Okinawa prefectural office to apologize to Governor Onaga Takeshi for the U.S. serviceman’s sexual offense.
In that meeting, Onaga criticized the U.S. forces by saying, “In Okinawa, similar incidents have repeatedly occurred in the last 70 years since the end of World War II. In spite of a large number of local protests, the situation remains unchanged. I’ve never seen the U.S. military carry out its promise to become a ‘good neighbor’ to Okinawans.”
Past related article:
> Okinawa governor protests against rape by US soldier [March 14&15, 2016]
The protesters insisted that the assault is a heinous crime violating the woman’s dignity and human rights. They pushed for taking concrete preventive measures, banning U.S. servicemen from drinking outside their bases, providing the victim with appropriate care and compensation, and closing all U.S. bases in Okinawa which have become a “nest of crime”.
In the representations, JCP prefectural assemblyperson Nishime Sumie said, “The U.S. military authorities have repeated the phrase “tightening of discipline” like a parrot, but it has turned out to be of no use. In order to stamp out crimes committed by U.S. soldiers, it is essential to keep them on the bases and to then remove all U.S. military facilities from Okinawa.”
On the same day, in protest against the latest assault and the U.S. base construction in Henoko, many Okinawans staged a sit-in in front of the gate of U.S. Camp Schwab in Nago City.
All five JCP prefectural assemblypersons joined in the action. Toguchi Osamu, one of the five legislators, stressed in his speech that local residents’ courageous struggles have led to the Abe government’s recent order to suspend the construction work in Henoko. “Let’s continue to fight under the flag of justice,” he said.
*****
On March 16, Lieutenant General Lawrence Nicholson, the Okinawa-based top U.S. Marine in Japan, visited the Okinawa prefectural office to apologize to Governor Onaga Takeshi for the U.S. serviceman’s sexual offense.
In that meeting, Onaga criticized the U.S. forces by saying, “In Okinawa, similar incidents have repeatedly occurred in the last 70 years since the end of World War II. In spite of a large number of local protests, the situation remains unchanged. I’ve never seen the U.S. military carry out its promise to become a ‘good neighbor’ to Okinawans.”
Past related article:
> Okinawa governor protests against rape by US soldier [March 14&15, 2016]
