Okinawa resolution calls for revision of US forces pact after murder
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The recent killing of a Japanese woman has triggered outrage in Japan, where any crimes involving US forces have long inflamed criticism of the troops’ presence.
PHOTO: AFP
- Okinawa lawmakers passed a resolution calling for a revision of the Japan Status of Forces Agreement after a woman was allegedly murdered by a US Marine.
- The assembly said the 1960 pact gives US forces unfair treatment and limits Japan's control over suspects, and will send its appeal to the US embassy and Japanese government.
- The move follows anger over repeated crimes by US personnel in Okinawa, where about 54,000 US troops are based, and renewed demands for stricter discipline and legal change.
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TOKYO – Lawmakers in Okinawa adopted a resolution on Oct 9 calling for revisions to a pact seen as giving the US military preferential treatment in Japan, following a murder allegedly committed by a US Marine.
The recent killing of a Japanese woman has triggered outrage in Japan, where any crimes involving US forces have long inflamed criticism of the troops’ presence.
The resolution, which will soon be submitted to the US embassy, was voted 45 in favour and two against, local media said.
The prefectural assembly also adopted an opinion statement to the same effect, which will be sent to the Japanese government.
“We are seeing the limitations of the US military’s training programme and ability to maintain discipline, and have to say that it is not functioning as an organisation,” said Ryotaro Odo, who leads the assembly’s special committee on US military bases.
The assembly called for a fundamental revision of the Japan Status of Forces Agreement, including provisions on the handing over of suspects.
That 1960 pact is often accused of rendering US military bases virtually extraterritorial and immune to Japan’s domestic laws.
The prefectural assembly passed a similar resolution and opinion statement in 2024, following a series of sexual assaults by US servicemen in Okinawa, according to Kyodo News.
Police said on Oct 4 that a US Marine stationed in Okinawa was arrested on suspicion of killing a 39-year-old woman at a hotel in the prefectural capital Naha and stealing her wallet.
Local media reported the woman was choked to death and that the suspect has denied the allegations.
The United States has around 54,000 military personnel stationed in Japan, mostly on Okinawa.
Crimes including rapes, assaults, hit-and-run and drunk-driving accidents by US military personnel have long triggered protests on the southern island. AFP