May 19, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Sakae Toiyama in Washington D.C.
On May 18, Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga met with former Vice President Walter Mondale, who served as Ambassador to Japan, while on an official trip to the United States. Then Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and then U.S. Ambassador Mondale announced in 1996 that the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma would be closed and its land returned to its owners. Onaga conveyed to Mondale the difficulty of constructing a replacement base for U.S Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Henoko, Nago because of strong public opposition. He said the U.S. government should cancel the current plan. The meeting was closed to the public.
After talking to Mondale, Onaga spoke to the press. He said, “It was a really meaningful time speaking with Mondale. He knew the details around the agreement reached in 1996 because he was the party in charge.” Onaga went on to say, “I am impressed and encouraged by what Mondale said.”
On May 22, in front of U.S. Marine Camp Zukeran, where the U.S. Forces Japan Okinawa Area Field Office is located, in Kitanakagusuku, an emergency protest rally was held to mourn the death of a woman who was allegedly killed by a former U.S. marine.
About 2,000 protesters dressed in black and white clothes, some of them wearing black armbands, expressed their heartfelt sorrow over the death of the woman. They demanded all U.S. troops and bases be removed.
Without the usual loudspeakers that are at most rallies opposing the bases, the protesters walked silently around the base, expressing their deep anger and sorrow.
The rally was organized by 36 organizations, mainly women’s organizations including Okinawa Women Act Against Military Violence, Committee for One-Stop Assistance Center, REICO （Rape Emergency Intervention Counseling Center Okinawa）and Group on Gender Issues.
Suzuyo Takazato, a co-representative of the Okinawa Women Act Against Military Violence, said in her speech, “We regret that, despite Okinawan people’s rallies, which we have had many times, we are unable to remove the U.S. bases from Okinawa.” She added, “Military culture elicits violence and caused this incident to occur. Therefore, we demand the base and military to be removed.”
The demands in the statement adopted in the rally are: 1) an apology and support for the victim’s family and relatives should be carried out in a careful manner; 2)a complete investigation should be conducted and the perpetrator be punished strictly. (3) All bases and troops should be removed from Okinawa.
Yet another precious Okinawan life has been stolen away. Comments by a man associated with the U.S. military implies that he was involved. At the root of the problem is the role of the Japanese and U.S. governments, who force an overwhelming proportion of U.S. military bases on Okinawa. Both governments, having failed to take an active stance toward consolidating and reducing U.S. bases in Okinawa, bear a substantial responsibility. We protest strongly.
Each time one of its members commits a heinous crime, the U.S. military claims it will endeavor to prevent future crimes. However, the present incident proves that it has never stood by this promise.
As long as there are military bases, the fear that more people will become victims will always remain. The most effective way to ensure the prevention of future crimes is to close the bases. The Japanese and U.S. governments should acknowledge this fact and take action.
Living with danger
A 20-year-old office worker from Ota, Uruma City had been missing since April 28. On May 19, her body was discovered in a wooded area in Onna Village, unrecognizable. The prefectural police arrested former U.S. Marine and current military employee Kenneth Franklin Shinzato, 32, on suspicion of disposing of her body in the woods.
She had sent her boyfriend a text message saying that she was going out for a walk before leaving home. It seems she often took walks down a major avenue lined with commercial buildings.
The present incident shows that even far from any U.S. base, people in Okinawa live with the ever-present danger of being victimized by U.S. military personnel or those associated with the U.S. military.
If there were no bases in Okinawa, the suspect would most likely not have been in Okinawa, and the incident may never have occurred. The painful incident clearly occurred as a result of the presence of U.S. bases.
Why is the U.S. military stationed in Okinawa? The Japanese and U.S. governments allege that it is to protect Japan based on the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty. However, the taking of an Okinawan life is anathema to Japan’s security. From the perspective of Okinawa, the contradictions present in the U.S.-Japan security arrangements are clear.
When measured by land area, 73.8 percent of all military facilities in Japan designated for exclusive use by the U.S. military were located in Okinawa in 2014. As of January 2016, that percentage has risen to 74.46 percent. From the perspective of land area designated for U.S. military use, the “reduction of burden on Okinawa” asserted by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has not progressed in the slightest. The present incident is a result of this situation.
Heinous crimes including murder and rape perpetrated by U.S. military personnel and persons associated with the U.S. military in Okinawa have been on the decline since reaching a peak of 69 incidents in 1977. Since 1995, there have been one to seven incidents per year, excluding the year 2013. However, there is nothing to laud about a decrease in the number of heinous crimes.
The Okinawan people did not invite U.S. military personnel and their associates to Okinawa of our own accord. The bare minimum condition for being considered a “good neighbor” is to commit no crime whatsoever. If the U.S. military cannot do that, it does not have the right to be in Okinawa.
At the end of our rope
She worked at a shopping center, and those who knew her say that she was a hard worker, cheerful, kind and considerate. The smiling pictures of her that have been circulated show her as a happy person.
Twenty years old. If she had lived, she would have had many years ahead of her to gain life experience and grow tremendously as a person. She must have had dreams and aspirations. It is painful to think that those dreams will never come true. Many Okinawans must be truly heartbroken when imagining the pain felt by her friends and family, who had prayed for her safety and awaited her return.
We cannot allow Okinawan people’s lives to be continually endangered and survivors forced to live with the grief.
We cannot allow the Japanese and U.S. governments to brush over the present incident with comments about how terrible it was. The people of Okinawa have reached the end of our rope. Promises to enforce discipline and prevent future crimes are not enough.
In March of this year, a U.S. Navy seaman assigned to Camp Schwab was arrested for raping a tourist woman at a hotel in Naha. After that incident, the Okinawa prefectural government strongly called on the U.S. military to enforce discipline and conduct thorough human rights training in order to prevent a recurrence.
The suspect in the present case is not a member of the military, but he is a former Marine and is employed at Kadena Air Base. The U.S. military is incontrovertibly responsible for educating its employees and other associated persons as well as its personnel. However, as the persistence of incidents shows, there is a limit to the effectiveness of the U.S. military’s education. There is only one option—for the U.S. military to leave Okinawa.
On May 19 the Okinawa prefectural police arrested 32-year-old Kenneth Franklin Shinzato, a current military employee on Kadena Air Base and former U.S. Marine living in Yonabaru, on suspicion of dumping the body of a 20-year-old female office worker from Uruma City who had been missing since April 28. Shinzato told the police that he abandoned the woman, who had stopped moving, in a wooded area. Due to Shinzato’s testimony, the prefectural police were able to find the woman’s body along Prefectural Highway 104, which goes through Onna Village. The police identified the body as the missing office worker by her dental records. According to the police, Shinzato’s testimony suggests that the woman was murdered. They are pursuing an investigation into her murder as well. The prefectural police established a special investigation headquarters on May 19 for the murder and body dumping, comprised of 88 personnel under Uruma Police Station’s head detective Kenryo Tomari.
At the time the woman disappeared, the prefectural police searched about 300 cars traversing the area, one-by-one. On May 16 an investigator made contact with Shinzato. Although Shinzato denied having any connection to the incident, he was visibly shaking when he answered. Noticing this behavior, the investigator continued to question him as a suspect. According to those involved in the investigation, after his questioning on May 16 Shinzato overdosed on sleeping pills and was taken by ambulance to receive treatment.
Shinzato volunteered his car for investigation, and DNA from the woman was discovered inside on May 18. The next day Shinzato began to admit to his involvement and told the investigator where he abandoned the woman.
The woman’s corpse was about 10 meters from the road, abandoned in a wooded area and partially decomposed. On May 20 the police had an autopsy performed at University of the Ryukyus Hospital to determine the cause of death. The woman was wearing a shirt and shorts, but her shoes have not been found.
On the night of April 28 Shinzato was driving from Ota, Uruma, where the woman lived, toward Kin Town. After that, at around 2 a.m. he made a stop at Uruma City sandspit. A police officer mentioned that the investigation is working to clarify the specifics on where Shinzato and the woman crossed paths, and the cause of the woman’s death.
Shinzato is a former US Marine, and works on Kadena Air Base maintaining its internet presence.
Ambassador in charge of Okinawan Affairs Masashi Mizukami and Director General of the Okinawa Defense Bureau Kazunori Inoue visited Vice-Governor of Okinawa Mitsuo Ageda on the morning of May 20 and apologized for the incident. That afternoon Okinawa Area Coordinator Lawrence Nicholson and US Consul General in Naha Joel Ehrendreich followed suit.
According to the Okinawa prefectural police, from the time of Okinawa’s return to Japanese sovereignty until the end of 2015 there have been 574 incidents of violent crimes committed by U.S. military personnel.
Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga is on an official trip to the United States to call for participation in the 6th Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival which will be held in October. Onaga joined the pitch opening ceremony for a major league game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets. Okinawa-born Japanese-American Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was catcher, while Onaga took part as pitcher, attracting applause from the spectators.
Before the game, the Okinawan eisa taiko ensemble Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko performed at Dodger Stadium. About 140 members of the Okinawa Association of America attended the game. In response to the association’s attendance at the game, Dodgers staff proposed that Onaga join the opening pitch ceremony for the game.
A movie to promote Okinawan tourism was screened at the stadium.
Before the pitch opening ceremony, Onaga spoke to the press, “I am proud of the Dodgers manager Dave Roberts who is Okinawa-born, and I am also proud of all Okinawan people who get a big name overseas. They encourage us.”
May 28, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Hisao Tome in Washington D.C.
On May 16, in Washington D.C, Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga met with four members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
According to Governor Onaga, Tom Cole (R-Okla.), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said that if the Japanese government offered an alternative to the Henoko relocation, the current plan could be changed. Cole said that if the Japanese government offered a solution, he would work with the U.S. government to respect it. He added that he wants a fair solution for Okinawa to be provided.
This is the first time a U.S. congress member has told Governor Onaga that the Henoko relocation is not the only option.
Governor Onaga revealed the news at a press conference held on the evening of May 16.
He visited the United States previously in May and June 2015 after he took office as governor. He met with government officials, congress members, and scholars of leading think tanks. However, on that trip, the only response he heard was, “Henoko is the only solution.”
Onaga said, “I have discussed the issue with only four congress members. But, I feel a level of information [about the Henoko issue] has reached them and been understood correctly.”
Cole and Tom Emmer (R-MN), members of the House of Representatives, gave their consent for the governor to make public their comments.
According to Onaga, Cole said he would like to help find a better solution for Okinawa. Emmer said he would investigate the background outlined by the governor, and that he understood this issue as an important one for the people of Okinawa and the environment.
Congressperson Betty McCollum (D-MN) and Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI)’s comments were not made public.
On the morning of May 16, Governor Onaga held a meeting with eight key figures to explore a solution for the Futenma and Henoko issues. The meeting was held behind closed doors, except at the outset when reporters were allowed to attend.
The governor met with eight congress members on May 17.
On May 18, Onaga will visit Minneapolis, Minnesota to meet with former Vice President Walter Mondale, who served as Ambassador to Japan. Then Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and then U.S. Ambassador Mondale announced in 1996 that the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma would be closed and its land returned to owners.
Yoshikatsu Nakano and a specialist team from the University of the Ryukyus Tropical Biosphere Research Center, and marine photographer Akinori Annou found a large coral reef colony, (Pocillopora), in the area around Gushikawa Island, Izena Village. According to Nakano, the colony was found off the east side of the island, and runs 150 meters in a north-south direction. At its nearest point to the island, the reef is 50 meters from the shore, and 130 meters away at its furthest point. The coral is a member of the Pocillopora. This is the largest colony ever recorded in Japan.
Nakano and Anno found the coral last June. The findings will be presented at the Okinawa Biology Conference, which will be held on the 28th of May at the University of the Ryukyus.
This coral cluster has a section that is one meter thick, suggesting it has grown over a long period of time. Nakano said, “It has survived the recent coral bleaching. It might have grown for several hundred years.”
Usually, the reef edge breaks up due to rough waves, and bedrock gets washed away or fractured. As a result, it is rare to find a large cluster with one kind of coral. The coral appear to be clones, indicating they are reproducing asexually. According to Nakano, this is the first time a self-fertilizing Pocilloporahas been found.
Nakano added, “It is rare for Pocillopora to grow over one meter. The finding is precious not only for biological study but also in the fields of geography and geology. It is significant in the history of coral reef formation and prompts us to think about the diversity of coral reefs in Okinawa.”
Akutagawa Prize winning novelist Shun Medoruma was detained by a Japanese security guard employed by U.S. Marine Corps while protesting against new U.S. base construction in Henoko, Nago. Medoruma filed a lawsuit in the Naha District Court, claiming the U.S. Marine Corps’ detained him without due legal process, and demanding about 600,000 yen for pain and suffering.
According to the court claim, the novelist was arrested on March 1 on suspicion of violating the Act on Special Measures Concerning Criminal Cases for entering the restricted area around U.S. Marine Corps Camp Schwab off the coast of Henoko, Nago. He was on his kayak to take part in the protest. Medoruma was detained for about eight hours within the base. The U.S. military allegedly refused to let Medoruma speak to a lawyer and did not explain why he had been detained.
May 17, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Hisao Tome in Washington, D.C.
An Okinawan team promoting the 6th Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival scheduled for October made its last stop on its rounds to four cities and two countries in North America to encourage attendance for the festival. At 11 a.m. on May 15 (midnight on May 16 Japan time), the team conducted an informational session about the festival in Virginia, on the outskirts of the capitol. About 30 members of the Okinawa Kai of Washington DC attended the informational session.
President of the Okinawa Kai Itsuko Asato said that when she attended the 1st Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival she was very impressed with its wonderful demonstrations of Uchinanchu culture from overseas, of Eisa dancing and folk songs. She requested that people attend this year, saying, “My memories of the festival will be with me for the rest of my life.”
Governor Takeshi Onaga of Okinawa said that the Okinawa Kai of Washington D.C. understands the importance of passing on Okinawa’s history, traditions, and culture through concentrated efforts and activities. He mentioned his impression that the team promoting the festival has been overwhelmed by the power of Okinawans in each part of the world it has visited.
Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga is on an official trip to the United States to call for participation in the 6th Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival which will be held in October. Onaga joined the pitch opening ceremony for a major league game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets. Okinawa-born Japanese-American Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was catcher, while Onaga took part as pitcher, attracting applause from the spectators.
Before the game, the Okinawan eisa taiko ensemble Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko performed at Dodger Stadium. About 140 members of the Okinawa Association of America attended the game. In response to the association’s attendance at the game, Dodgers staff proposed that Onaga join the opening pitch ceremony for the game.
A movie to promote Okinawan tourism was screened at the stadium.
Before the pitch opening ceremony, Onaga spoke to the press, “I am proud of the Dodgers manager Dave Roberts who is Okinawa-born, and I am also proud of all Okinawan people who get a big name overseas. They encourage us.”
Yet another precious Okinawan life has been stolen away. Comments by a man associated with the U.S. military implies that he was involved. At the root of the problem is the role of the Japanese and U.S. governments, who force an overwhelming proportion of U.S. military bases on Okinawa. Both governments, having failed to take an active stance toward consolidating and reducing U.S. bases in Okinawa, bear a substantial responsibility. We protest strongly.
Each time one of its members commits a heinous crime, the U.S. military claims it will endeavor to prevent future crimes. However, the present incident proves that it has never stood by this promise.
As long as there are military bases, the fear that more people will become victims will always remain. The most effective way to ensure the prevention of future crimes is to close the bases. The Japanese and U.S. governments should acknowledge this fact and take action.
Living with danger
Rina Shimabukuro, age 20, an office worker from Ota, Uruma City had been missing since April 28. On May 19, her body was discovered in a wooded area in Onna Village, unrecognizable. The prefectural police arrested former U.S. Marine and current military employee Kenneth Franklin Shinzato, 32, on suspicion of disposing of her body in the woods.
Rina Shimabukuro had sent her boyfriend a text message saying that she was going out for a walk before leaving home. It seems she often took walks down a major avenue lined with commercial buildings.
The present incident shows that even far from any U.S. base, people in Okinawa live with the ever-present danger of being victimized by U.S. military personnel or those associated with the U.S. military.
If there were no bases in Okinawa, the suspect would most likely not have been in Okinawa, and the incident may never have occurred. The painful incident clearly occurred as a result of the presence of U.S. bases.
Why is the U.S. military stationed in Okinawa? The Japanese and U.S. governments allege that it is to protect Japan based on the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty. However, the taking of an Okinawan life is anathema to Japan’s security. From the perspective of Okinawa, the contradictions present in the U.S.-Japan security arrangements are clear.
When measured by land area, 73.8 percent of all military facilities in Japan designated for exclusive use by the U.S. military were located in Okinawa in 2014. As of January 2016, that percentage has risen to 74.46 percent. From the perspective of land area designated for U.S. military use, the “reduction of burden on Okinawa” asserted by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has not progressed in the slightest. The present incident is a result of this situation.
Heinous crimes including murder and rape perpetrated by U.S. military personnel and persons associated with the U.S. military in Okinawa have been on the decline since reaching a peak of 69 incidents in 1977. Since 1995, there have been one to seven incidents per year, excluding the year 2013. However, there is nothing to laud about a decrease in the number of heinous crimes.
The Okinawan people did not invite U.S. military personnel and their associates to Okinawa of our own accord. The bare minimum condition for being considered a “good neighbor” is to commit no crime whatsoever. If the U.S. military cannot do that, it does not have the right to be in Okinawa.
At the end of our rope
Rina Shimabukuro worked at a shopping center, and those who knew her say that she was a hard worker, cheerful, kind and considerate. The smiling pictures of her that have been circulated show her as a happy person.
Twenty years old. If she had lived, she would have had many years ahead of her to gain life experience and grow tremendously as a person. She must have had dreams and aspirations. It is painful to think that those dreams will never come true. Many Okinawans must be truly heartbroken when imagining the pain felt by her friends and family, who had prayed for her safety and awaited her return.
We cannot allow Okinawan people’s lives to be continually endangered and survivors forced to live with the grief.
We cannot allow the Japanese and U.S. governments to brush over the present incident with comments about how terrible it was. The people of Okinawa have reached the end of our rope. Promises to enforce discipline and prevent future crimes are not enough.
In March of this year, a U.S. Navy seaman assigned to Camp Schwab was arrested for raping a tourist woman at a hotel in Naha. After that incident, the Okinawa prefectural government strongly called on the U.S. military to enforce discipline and conduct thorough human rights training in order to prevent a recurrence.
The suspect in the present case is not a member of the military, but he is a former Marine and is employed at Kadena Air Base. The U.S. military is incontrovertibly responsible for educating its employees and other associated persons as well as its personnel. However, as the persistence of incidents shows, there is a limit to the effectiveness of the U.S. military’s education. There is only one option—for the U.S. military to leave Okinawa.
Webcam(Kokusai Street)
