 |
Okinawa Demands Cut in US Forces After Scandal
The prefectural assembly of Okinawa on Friday adopted a resolution demanding a reduction in the number of US Marines in Japan's southernmost island prefecture in the wake of recent allegations that a US Marine had molested a Japanese high school girl, the Kyodo News reported.
The resolution was unanimously adopted at an extraordinary plenary session of the local assembly, the report said.
The action by Okinawa lawmakers reflects a strong resentment felt toward some 15,000-US Marines by local residents, who have been prey to a number of incidents and crimes despite several requests by the Japanese side aimed at preventing such occurrences, the report said.
"Repeated incidents impose major anxiety and shock on local residents and we cannot tolerate the recent incident that occurred in spite of our numerous protests," the resolution says.
The resolution, addressed to Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, the US ambassador to Japan and the commander of the US Forces, calls for the reduction of US Forces including US Marines, strengthened discipline in the US Forces and thorough personnel education.
In Tokyo, Japan's Defense Agency Chief Toshitsugu Saito told reporters that the government is ready to take the matter up with the United States based on the April 1996 Japan-US joint security declaration.
The 1996 document states that Japan and the US will consult closely on "defense policies and military postures, including the U.S. force structure in Japan" in response to the changes, which may arise in the international security environment.
Saito pledged the government will ask the US to reinforce discipline among its military personnel.
A 21-year-old US Marine was arrested January 9 in northern Okinawa on suspicion of lifting a 16-year-old high school girl's skirt and taking a picture.
Okinawa accounts for only 0.6 percent of Japan's land area, but is home to about 75 percent of territory used by US military facilities in Japan.
In This Section
|