Massive protest on Okinawa opposes US military after killing

Thousands of demonstrators gathered on Japan’s Okinawa Island in one of the biggest protests in 20 years against the heavy presence of the U.S. military on 19 June.

epa05377026 Protesters gather during a large rally in Naha, Okinawa island, southern Japan, 19 June 2016.

A similar demonstration was being held simultaneously outside the Japanese parliament in Tokyo. However, he has not yet been charged with killing her, according to the AP. Organizers estimated the crowd at 65,000, and said it was the largest protest against the usa presence there in twenty years, the New York Times reported.

Many people held signs demanding the Marines leave and the military presence on Okinawa be scaled back.

Hatsuko Aoki, one of the demonstrators, shouted through a microphone: “It’s not just a problem for Okinawa”.

-Japanese security agreement, which burdens Okinawa with hosting the bulk of US troops in Japan.

Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga told the crowd that he wanted to apologize to the woman for failing to protect her, the Associated Press reported.

Also contentious is a plan to relocate a Marine Corps air station to a less-populated part of the southwestern island. Many wore black in mourning for a local woman who had been raped and killed.

“The government. must understand that Okinawa residents should not suffer any more from the burden of the bases”, Onaga said. He has revoked approval for work on the facility even though Washington and Tokyo vow to push it forward.

The arrest prompted the USA military to announce a 30-day period of mourning for the victim and restrict off-base drinking in a bid to assuage local anger. The project, to have been completed years ago, has been delayed due to local opposition and legal maneuvering.

Okinawa was the site of some of the bloodiest fighting between USA and Japanese forces during the Second World War.

Last year criminal cases suspected to be linked to the United States military represented just 0.8 per cent of all cases in Okinawa, according to figures from the prefectural government, remaining under one per cent for the third year in a row. Public rage erupted, and 90,000 Japanese took to the streets to protest against U.S. crimes in Okinawa. The relocation plan developed after public anger erupted in 1995 over the rape of a girl by three United States servicemen. In 2010, almost 100,000 people joined a protest against the construction of the base.

Okinawa is a small Japanese island with huge strategic value. They have imposed restrictions including on off-base alcohol consumption after an intoxicated sailor injured two locals while driving this month. “I want Abe to feel Okinawa’s pain”, said Shigenori Tsuhako, 70, who came to the event because his grand daughter is the same age as the 20-year-old murdered woman, Rina Shimabukuro.

Obama called it a “tragedy” and expressed “deepest regrets” at a joint news conference.