All Okinawa Kaigi demands Japanese Government withdrawal of US marines from Okinawa

All Okinawa Kaigi demands Japanese Government withdrawal of US marines from Okinawa

Members of the All Okinawa Kaigi, Satoru Nakashone (from left), Ai Tamaki and Hroshi Inafuku, called on the government to heed the demands of a resolution adopted at the Okinawa Mass Protest Rally, on the morning of June 22 at the Cabinet Office, Tokyo


June 22, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo

Co-representative of All Okinawa Kaigi (All Okinawa Coalition) and Meio University student Ai Tamaki, and other members, met Osamu Hayashizaki, vice-minister for policy coordination in the Cabinet Office, in Tokyo on June 22. They handed over a resolution that was adopted at the Okinawa Mass Protest Rally, which was held in the wake of the rape and murder of a woman by a U.S. military contractor.
The resolution is addressed to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

According to the members, the vice-minister stated that the government would make efforts to prevent any recurrence of such crimes.

The resolution demands the withdrawal of the U.S. Marine Corps from Okinawa and a
drastic revision of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).

The meeting was not opened to the press.

Hiroshi Inafuku, director of the Kaigi, and Satoru Nakasone, director of the organizing
committee for the mass rally and a member of the prefectural assembly, also attended.

After the meeting, Tamaki said to reporters, “The government should think seriously about working for the prefectural people, and realize what the military is really doing.” She criticized the preventative measures put in place by the government, saying, “Preventing recurrence and enforcement of strict official discipline are hackneyed phrases. Do not make fun of us. The government suggests that it will increase the number of patrol cars, and that women need to learn the art of defense.”

The All Okinawa Kaigi submitted the resolution to Aiko Shimajiri, the minister in charge of Okinawa affairs.

They are scheduled to also convey the message of the resolution to the Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Defense.

(English translation by T&CT)

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