Okinawa Gov Takeshi Onaga on Saturday asked Foreign Minister Taro Kono for a drastic amendment of the Japan-U. S. Status of Forces Agreement following a series of crimes and accidents involving U. S. military-related personnel in the southern Japan prefecture. Kono only told Onaga that the government will
Okinawa Gov Takeshi Onaga on Saturday asked Foreign Minister Taro Kono for a drastic amendment of the Japan-U. S. Status of Forces Agreement following a series of crimes and accidents involving U. S. military-related personnel in the southern Japan prefecture.
Kono only told Onaga that the government will try to reduce the local burden of the U. S. bases in Okinawa at a meeting held at the Okinawa government building in Naha. It was Kono’s first visit to the island prefecture since assuming his post in August.
Okinawa hosts the bulk of U. S. military facilities in Japan and a spate of crimes committed by soldiers and base personnel as well as accidents involving military aircraft have angered local residents. Recent incidents include the crash-landing of a U. S. military helicopter in October and the arrest of a Marine for an alleged drunken driving accident leading to the death of a resident last month.
“People in Okinawa have been shocked and are enduring significant anxiety,” Onaga told Kono.
Onaga said the Japan-U. S. Status of Forces Agreement has been criticized by locals as being “unfair” as they view it as overly protective of U. S. service members and civilian base workers if they are implicated in crimes.
The Japanese government has been reluctant to revise the pact, which has never been revised since taking effect in 1960.
