March 23, 2016
Japanese Communist Party parliamentarian Kami Tomoko argued on March 22 in the Diet that the removal of the U.S. bases in Japan is the only solution for eradicating crimes committed by U.S. servicepersons.
In a session of the Upper House Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs Special Committee, Kami took up the incident where a U.S. sailor stationed at U.S. Camp Schwab in Okinawa raped a Japanese woman in Naha City on March 13.
Noting that U.S. soldiers’ sexual assaults of Japanese women have been occurring repeatedly, Kami referred to the protest resolution which the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly unanimously adopted on March 22.
The resolution points out that the number of crimes perpetrated by U.S. servicepersons in Okinawa reached 5,896 as of the end of 2015 since the island prefecture was returned to Japan in May 1972 and that “recurrence prevention measures” and “education” programs implemented by the U.S. military do not work. Along with making a sincere apology and paying appropriate damages to the victim, it demands that the U.S. and Japanese governments work together to create a more effective crime prevention educational system for U.S. servicepersons, drastically revise the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), and reduce the number of U.S. bases in Okinawa.
The Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs, Shimajiri Aiko, said in response, “This is a monstrous crime. I’ll work to keep such crimes from occurring again.”
The JCP lawmaker stressed, “As long as Japan hosts U.S. bases, such crimes will continue. In order to prevent them, there is no option but to remove all U.S. military facilities from Japan.”
* * *
Following the prefectural assembly resolution, the Ginoza Village Assembly in Okinawa on March 22 unanimously passed a resolution in protest against the U.S. military over the recent rape by a U.S. seaman.
Ginoza Village is located about five kilometers from Camp Schwab. The adopted statement presses for effective preventive measures as well as the revision of the SOFA, stating, “Villagers are forced to live in fear.”
In Okinawa, many other municipal assemblies are expected to adopt similar resolutions by the end of March.
Past related article:
> JCP Okinawa protests US sailor’s rape of Japanese woman [March 17, 2016]
In a session of the Upper House Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs Special Committee, Kami took up the incident where a U.S. sailor stationed at U.S. Camp Schwab in Okinawa raped a Japanese woman in Naha City on March 13.
Noting that U.S. soldiers’ sexual assaults of Japanese women have been occurring repeatedly, Kami referred to the protest resolution which the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly unanimously adopted on March 22.
The resolution points out that the number of crimes perpetrated by U.S. servicepersons in Okinawa reached 5,896 as of the end of 2015 since the island prefecture was returned to Japan in May 1972 and that “recurrence prevention measures” and “education” programs implemented by the U.S. military do not work. Along with making a sincere apology and paying appropriate damages to the victim, it demands that the U.S. and Japanese governments work together to create a more effective crime prevention educational system for U.S. servicepersons, drastically revise the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), and reduce the number of U.S. bases in Okinawa.
The Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs, Shimajiri Aiko, said in response, “This is a monstrous crime. I’ll work to keep such crimes from occurring again.”
The JCP lawmaker stressed, “As long as Japan hosts U.S. bases, such crimes will continue. In order to prevent them, there is no option but to remove all U.S. military facilities from Japan.”
* * *
Following the prefectural assembly resolution, the Ginoza Village Assembly in Okinawa on March 22 unanimously passed a resolution in protest against the U.S. military over the recent rape by a U.S. seaman.
Ginoza Village is located about five kilometers from Camp Schwab. The adopted statement presses for effective preventive measures as well as the revision of the SOFA, stating, “Villagers are forced to live in fear.”
In Okinawa, many other municipal assemblies are expected to adopt similar resolutions by the end of March.
Past related article:
> JCP Okinawa protests US sailor’s rape of Japanese woman [March 17, 2016]
