Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2016 June 22 - 28 [US FORCES]

Okinawa governor and municipal heads urge Japanese and US authorities to revise SOFA

An Okinawa delegation led by Governor Onaga Takeshi on June 21 visited the relevant ministries and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo to protest against the rape and murder of a local woman by an ex-U.S. marine and demand the revision of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement and the removal of the U.S. Marine Corps from Okinawa.

The delegation represented the Okinawa prefectural council consisting of heads of municipalities hosting U.S. military facilities.

After the visit, in response to questions from the press, Onaga criticized the SOFA as an unequal treaty and expressed his disapproval of the two governments’ move for minor adjustments to the SOFA. He said what they should do is to revise the SOFA and reduce the U.S. military presence in Okinawa.

Mayor Toyama Hiroshi of Kadena Town which hosts the U.S. Kadena base where the former U.S. marine worked as a civilian contractor said, “A brutal incident like the latest one could happen at any time anywhere in the prefecture. To tighten military discipline is of no help in eliminating crimes by U.S. servicemen. A meaningful SOFA revision is the only effective measure to prevent such crimes.”

Past related articles:
> 65,000 Okinawans mourn rape victim [June 20, 2016]
> Supra-partisan Okinawa assemblymen call for withdrawal of Marines and revised SOFA [June 11, 2016]