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Foreign Ministry document reveals that 1000 crimes were committed by U.S. military personnel in the twelve months before the reversion of Okinawa

Foreign Ministry document reveals that 1000 crimes were committed by U.S. military personnel in the twelve months before the reversion of Okinawa

December 23, 2011 Ryukyu Shimpo

A total of 5367 crimes were committed by U.S. military personnel in the five years from 1964 to 1968 under the U.S. Military Administration of Okinawa. On December 22, a Foreign Ministry document released stated that while 504 violent crimes such as murders, robberies, and rapes were committed, only 33.6% of all the crimes committed actually resulted in prosecution.

According to statistics attached to a confidential report entitled “Civil affairs...

 

Removal of nuclear weapons from Okinawa delayed its reversion to Japan

December 23, 2011 Ryukyu Shimpo

According to diplomatic documents declassified on December 22, 2011, the date of Okinawa’s reversion to Japanese sovereignty was set to match the completion of the removal of nuclear weapons stored in U.S. military bases in Okinawa.
While the Japanese...

Ministry of Defense allocates one billion yen for the deployment of Self-Defense Forces to Yonaguni Island

December 25, 2011 Ryukyu Shimpo

The Ministry of Defense announced on December 24 that it has allocated around one billion yen from the annual budget for fiscal 2012 for site acquisition to deploy a coastal monitoring team of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force on Yonaguni Island.
Considering...

Japanese Ministry of Defense does not give reasoning behind the stationing the U.S. Marine Corps in Okinawa

Japanese Ministry of Defense does not give reasoning behind the stationing the U.S. Marine Corps in Okinawa

December 21, 2011 Ryukyu Shimpo

On December 20, the Ministry of Defense responded to questions posed by the Okinawa Prefectural Government (OPG) with regard to “The role and importance of the United States Forces in Japan including the Marines Corps.” The Defense Ministry booklet...

Okinawa Prefecture preserves the Shiraho-Saonetabaru Cave on the site of New Ishigaki Airport

December 15, 2011 Ryukyu Shimpo

Okinawa prefecture has decided to preserve the Shiraho Saonetabaru site where human bones 24000 years old were unearthed. The site will be conserved to enable further excavation and visits. This is the first site where plants and animals are preserved in their...

Out of consideration of a backlash from Okinawa the government has not budgeted for the Futenma relocation plan for the next fiscal year

December 15, 2011 Ryukyu Shimpo

With regard to the relocation plan of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to Henoko in the Nago district, it was revealed on December 14 that the government has decided to defer the inclusion of basic design and construction costs originally scheduled for the...

Okinawa Governor to establish a new division to study Japan-U.S. security issues

December 13, 2011 Ryukyu Shimpo

On December 12, Governor Hirokazu Nakaima announced that next April the Okinawa Prefectural Office (OPG) will establish a division to conduct research and gather information about Japan-U.S. security issues.
This is aimed at lending substance to his policy...

“We could remove the Marines from Okinawa” suggests U.S. Congressman Frank

December 6, 2011 Ryukyu Shimpo

Barney Frank, a leading Democratic Congressman was quoted in the U.S. magazine “Foreign Affairs” (December issue) as saying, “I do think we could remove the Marines from Okinawa; whose only purpose has been to destabilize Japanese politics, so...

Okinawa defense official’s injudicious remark:Defense Minister apologizes to Okinawa Governor, saying, “This has offended the people of Okinawa”

Okinawa defense official’s injudicious remark:Defense Minister apologizes to Okinawa Governor, saying,

December 3, 2011 Ryukyu Shimpo
In the evening of December 2, at the Okinawa Prefectural Office, Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa met with Governor Hirokazu Nakaima to discuss the injudicious remark by Satoshi Tanaka, the director-general of the Okinawa Defense Bureau on November 28, about the...

U.S. fighter drills to move from the Kadena Air Base to Guam next month

November 26, 2011 Ryukyu Shimpo

On November 25, the Ministry of Defense announced that from December 1 U.S. fighter aircraft drills initially planned to take place from the Kadena Air Base in December will start partially moving to Guam. This is one of the initiatives that Japan and the United...

Foreign Ministry does not intend to investigate the Agent Orange issue in Okinawa

November 25, 2011 Ryukyu Shimpo

On November 24, the Okinawa Liaison Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it will not carry out additional research regarding articles reporting U.S. veterans’ claims that a highly toxic defoliant containing dioxin was used extensively in...