Japan Press Weekly

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2008 February 27 - March 4 [US FORCES]

All Okinawan local assemblies adopt resolutions in protest against rape by U.S. Marine

All 41 local assemblies in Okinawa have adopted resolutions and statements expressing strong protest against the February 10 rape by a U.S. Marine of a junior high school girl, following the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly resolution on February 14.

The Minamidaito Village Assembly on February 29 adopted a unanimous resolution stating, “Accidents and incidents caused repeatedly by U.S. servicemen show how inadequate the past crime prevention measures have been and that their crimes cannot be eliminated by ‘improving’ the application of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) alone.”

It demands that the U.S. forces apologize and fully compensate the victim’s families, and tighten discipline by establishing effective preventive measures. It also calls for the SOFA to be reviewed.

Resolutions of Naha City, Motobu Town, and many other cities and towns in Okinawa urge the central government to take steps to drastically reduce U.S. military facilities and personnel, in particular U.S. Marines in Okinawa.