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Several city assemblies in the Okinawa Prefecture yesterday unanimously passed a resolution to protest the murder of a local woman to which a civilian United States base worker has allegedly confessed.
City assemblies in Naha, the capital of the southern island prefecture, and Uruma, where the 20- year-old victim lived, also passed a resolution calling for a scale-down of US bases in Okinawa and a drastic review of the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement.
The bilateral accord, which governs the management and operation of US military in Japan, is intended to serve US interests including protecting American servicemen from being subject to what the United States sees
as unfair criminal or civil justice systems. The city council of Nago also passed a similar resolution.
The development came after police on Thursday arrested Kenneth Franklin Shinzato, a 32-year-old former Marine, for allegedly dumping the woman’s body. Investigative sources said he had admitted to killing the victim after sexually assaulting her.
The incident stoked anger among islanders already feeling burdened with the heavy US military presence in Okinawa.
“Citizens in the city and the prefecture are deeply shocked and worried. Deep sorrow and strong anger are growing,” the Uruma city assembly said in a statement.
“It is absolutely wrong that we have to keep living regular days while being scared of crimes committed by US military personnel and base workers,” the Naha city assembly said separately, adding that it will send the resolution to the US government and opinions to the Japanese parliament.
Japan’s PM ‘outraged’ as US base worker is arrested over woman’s death; police sources say ex-Marine admitted strangling her
The Japanese Defence Ministry and the US Department of Defence expressed reluctance to review the bilateral agreement.
Defence Minister Gen Nakatani said at a press conference yesterday: “Investigation on this case has been carried out rigorously based on Japan’s right to investigate and jurisdiction under the status-of-forces agreement.”
Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said on Monday that the US and Japan have been improving the way the agreement is applied and will continue with the effort.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
