Thousands demand US military exit from Okinawa

Tens of thousands of demonstrators have gathered on the Japanese island of Okinawa to protest against the heavy US military presence there. The protestors are angry after a former US Marine employed as a civilian worker was arrested over the rape and murder of a local 20-year-old woman. The case has intensified longstanding opposition to […]

Tens of thousands of demonstrators have gathered on the Japanese island of Okinawa to protest against the heavy US military presence there.
The protestors are angry after a former US Marine employed as a civilian worker was arrested over the rape and murder of a local 20-year-old woman.
The case has intensified longstanding opposition to the military bases, spurring calls for US military personnel to be moved off the island.
There are 26,000 US troops on Okinawa.
They work and live on bases that cover a fifth of the island and are a key part of the US-Japan security alliance.
A 32-year-old US civilian working at the base was arrested last month in connection with the murder of Ms Shimabukuro.
The demonstrators called for the scrapping of plans by Washington and Tokyo to move a major US Marine facility in the centre of the island to a more remote area.
Okinawa’s Governor Takeshi Onaga, who attended the rally, is opposed to the plan and wants the base removed entirely.