Japan Press Weekly

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2016 October 12 - 18 [POLITICS]

Okinawans: don’t use taxpayers’ money to help riot police suppress protesters in Takae

Seeking to stop the Okinawa prefectural police from paying the fuel costs for riot police squads that were dispatched from other prefectures, a group of 389 Okinawans on October 17 submitted a request to this effect with the prefecture’s audit committee.

A large number of riot police officers are now in Okinawa to crack down on peaceful protesters opposing the ongoing construction work of U.S. military landing pads for Ospreys (“Ospreypads”) in the Takae district in Higashi Village, northern Okinawa.

The Okinawa police chief said before the prefectural assembly that as of the end of August the police paid 9.5 million yen in fuel costs and 470,000 yen for repair costs to support the stationing of outside police officers, according to the citizens’ group.

The residents’ group said that if completed, the “Ospreypads” will even worsen the already heavy noise pollution produced by the U.S. military aircraft. The group members stressed that it is totally unacceptable to provide a subsidy to the riot police who are working in line with the central government’s move to push forward with the controversial construction project.

The citizens’ group demanded that the audit committee advice the governor to prohibit the prefectural police chief from offering the financial support to the other prefectures’ riot police squads and to order the police chief to compensate for damages.

Representatives of the citizens’ group on the same day held a press conference at the prefectural government office building. Kitaueda Tsuyoshi said, “No taxpayers’ money should be used to help riot police officers suppress peaceful protesters. They should leave Okinawa immediately.”

The audit committee will decide whether to approve the citizens’ request within 60 days.


Past related articles:
> Riot police intimidating Okinawans staying at luxury resort hotel [September 2, 2016]
> Okinawa governor criticizes excessive policing in Takae [August 26 & 27, 2016]