April 7, 2016
In protest against an incident where an anti-base activist in Okinawa was unjustly detained by the U.S. military and then arrested by the Japan Coast Guard, Okinawans on April 6 held a rally in front of the gate of U.S. Camp Zukeran.
With the U.S. and Japanese governments seeking to construct a new U.S. base in the coastal area of Nago’s Henoko district in Okinawa Prefecture, protest actions have been taking place near the planned construction site. On the morning of April 1, Medoruma Shun, one of the activists protesting from a canoe on the sea, was detained by the U.S. military. Akutagawa prize-winning novelist Medoruma was then arrested by the Japan Coast Guard in the evening of the day after eight hours in U.S. custody. The maritime law enforcement agency said Medoruma allegedly entered off-limit sea areas without permission. He was released on the following day.
The protest rally was organized by a residents group opposing the Henoko base construction consisting of political parties, trade unions, and citizens groups. Around 700 participants staged a sit-in in front of the U.S. base gate and raised their voices of protest, shouting, “No to unjust detention!”, “Stop the suppression!”
Medoruma in the rally said that he was forcibly dragged out of his canoe by U.S. servicemen and remained imprisoned at the base under surveillance by armed guards. He stressed, “Harsh crackdowns on residents are unacceptable. Let’s keep working to block the base construction.”
One of the rally participants, a 63-year-old woman, said to Akahata, “I am angry with the Japanese government which puts top priority on the interests of the U.S. Tokyo should listen carefully to the voices of the people in Okinawa.”
Past related articles:
> Cross-party lawmakers visit Henoko to see actual situation with their own eyes [August 22 and 23, 2014]
> Gov’t launches measures to restrict on-sea protest against new US base construction in Henoko [August 15, 2014]
With the U.S. and Japanese governments seeking to construct a new U.S. base in the coastal area of Nago’s Henoko district in Okinawa Prefecture, protest actions have been taking place near the planned construction site. On the morning of April 1, Medoruma Shun, one of the activists protesting from a canoe on the sea, was detained by the U.S. military. Akutagawa prize-winning novelist Medoruma was then arrested by the Japan Coast Guard in the evening of the day after eight hours in U.S. custody. The maritime law enforcement agency said Medoruma allegedly entered off-limit sea areas without permission. He was released on the following day.
The protest rally was organized by a residents group opposing the Henoko base construction consisting of political parties, trade unions, and citizens groups. Around 700 participants staged a sit-in in front of the U.S. base gate and raised their voices of protest, shouting, “No to unjust detention!”, “Stop the suppression!”
Medoruma in the rally said that he was forcibly dragged out of his canoe by U.S. servicemen and remained imprisoned at the base under surveillance by armed guards. He stressed, “Harsh crackdowns on residents are unacceptable. Let’s keep working to block the base construction.”
One of the rally participants, a 63-year-old woman, said to Akahata, “I am angry with the Japanese government which puts top priority on the interests of the U.S. Tokyo should listen carefully to the voices of the people in Okinawa.”
Past related articles:
> Cross-party lawmakers visit Henoko to see actual situation with their own eyes [August 22 and 23, 2014]
> Gov’t launches measures to restrict on-sea protest against new US base construction in Henoko [August 15, 2014]
