Japan Press Weekly

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2008 March 12 - 18 [US FORCES]

Six lawyers’ groups together protest against U.S. crimes

Six lawyers’ organizations on March 15 jointly published a statement protesting against crimes committed frequently by U.S. servicemen stationed in Japan, including the recent rape by a U.S. Marine. They also called for the reduction and removal of U.S. bases from Okinawa.

It is rare for these legal organizations to band together to issue a statement of this kind.

Referring to the fact that in Okinawa, where 70 percent of U.S. forces in Japan are concentrated, the statement pointed out that there were 201,481 cases of crimes committed by U.S. military personnel between 1952 when the San Francisco “peace” treaty came into effect and 2004. It said, “The sheer number of cases is scandalous.”

The statement also demands that U.S. military bases be reduced and then removed from Okinawa, stating, “U.S. military bases are a hotbed of serious crimes and of accidents, and are nothing more than a threat to the daily lives of the Japanese people.”

With a major rally set for March 23 in protest against U.S. crimes, these lawyers’ organizations announced a plan to create a movement against U.S. bases with this joint statement as the beginning of the process.

The six organizations are: the Japan Democratic Lawyer’s Association, the Japan Young Lawyers Association Attorneys and Academics Section, the Lawyers Center for Socialdemocracy, the Japanese Lawyers International Solidarity Association, the Japan Association of Lawyers against Nuclear Arms, and Japan Lawyers Association for Freedom.
- Akahata, March 16, 2008