Japan Press Weekly

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2014 October 29 - November 4 [US FORCES]

Killer of a Filipino woman turns out to be US Marine stationed in Okinawa

Akahata on October 31 learned that a suspect accused in the Philippines of the murder of a Filipino woman was a U.S. Marine assigned to a regiment in Okinawa.

The news shocked Okinawan residents. They said, “We also feel scared because the threat of crimes by U.S. forces is the same whether in Okinawa or in the Philippines” and “In Okinawa, we also fear that we could be attacked by U.S. soldiers at any given moment.”

In response to an Akahata inquiry, the Media Relations Office of the U.S. Marine Corps in Okinawa admitted that the suspect, Joseph Scott Pemberton, has been in Okinawa for a unit deployment program under the supervision of the USMC Okinawa.

Nakamoto Koshin, an anti-base activist in Okinawa, said, “Okinawans want all U.S. bases out, but the Abe government and the present Okinawa governor are pushing ahead with preparations for war. They are willing to tolerate crimes committed by U.S. soldiers.”

Takasato Suzuyo of a women’s group for a base-free Okinawa said, “It was also a U.S. Marine in Okinawa who committed rape in the Philippines in 2005. The murder this time should not come as a surprise. Even after Okinawa was returned to Japan in 1972, we have seen no end to the many serious crimes committed by U.S. military personnel.”