NAHA—The Okinawa prefectural meeting unanimously adopted a decision and a press release of protest in opposition to the U.S. navy and the central authorities over a collection of intercourse crime circumstances involving U.S. servicemen stationed right here.
The meeting on July 10 demanded measures to forestall a recurrence in addition to revisions to the Japan-U.S. Standing of Forces Settlement, which grants privileged standing to U.S. navy personnel suspected of crimes dedicated in Japan.
Within the June prefectural meeting election, candidates supported by the ruling Liberal Democratic Social gathering and its junior coalition associate, Komeito, gained a majority for the primary time in 16 years.
Allies of Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki, who has lengthy protested the heavy U.S. navy presence within the prefecture, fell into the minority.
However on this concern, the ruling and opposition events aligned themselves in a bipartisan protest.
The decision and the assertion describe the most recent incidents involving U.S. servicemen as “extraordinarily vicious crimes that not solely inflict bodily and psychological struggling on the victims but additionally violate their human dignity.”
They mentioned the U.S. navy as a corporation “has an issue with human rights consciousness,” and the meeting “protests with fury that’s throughout our physique.”
They referred to as for revisions of SOFA, which stipulates that U.S. forces can proceed to detain American navy personnel till they’re indicted by Japanese authorities.
As of July 10, no less than 17 municipal assemblies within the prefecture had adopted related resolutions and statements of protest. Fifteen of them are demanding SOFA revisions.
Since June, the prefectural authorities realized for the primary time about 5 sexual assault circumstances involving U.S. servicemen within the prefecture that occurred from final 12 months.
The Overseas Ministry, Okinawa prefectural police and the Naha District Public Prosecutors Workplace mentioned they didn’t inform prefectural authorities officers of those incidents to guard the privateness of the victims.
SOFA turned a significant level of competition after the 1995 abduction and sexual assault of an Okinawa schoolgirl. Prefectural police issued arrest warrants for 3 U.S. servicemen, however the U.S. facet refused handy over the suspects, citing SOFA.
The three weren’t extradited till after they’d been indicted.
In response to the large outcry from residents, Japan and the USA agreed to make an operational enchancment underneath which the U.S. facet would “give favorable consideration” to extradition earlier than indictment in circumstances of homicide, sexual assault and different heinous crimes.
However up to now, the Japanese facet has requested extradition earlier than indictment in solely six circumstances nationwide, one in every of which was denied by the U.S. facet. The final request was made in 2008.
The Japanese facet didn’t ask the U.S. facet handy over the suspects concerned within the newest circumstances.
“Each time there’s an incident or accident, we’ve got demanded self-discipline and prevention of a recurrence, however nothing has been accomplished to rectify the state of affairs,” mentioned a prefectural meeting member from the central a part of Okinawa’s important island, the place a big focus of bases is positioned.
“Until the settlement is revised in order that home legal guidelines will be utilized, the U.S. navy can’t be restrained,” the meeting member mentioned.
(This text was written by Taro Ono and Satsuki Tanahashi.)