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Okinawa governor condemns Marine arrest in robbery-murder, seeks SOFA review
Коротко
Okinawa Governor Gen'o Koga used his first policy speech to the prefectural assembly on Oct 6 to condemn the arrest of a US Marine from Futenma Air Station on suspicion of robbery-murder, calling it “extremely malicious” and saying it gives residents great anxiety. He called on both governments to take fundamental measures including revision of the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement, and is due to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Oct 7. Naha city assembly passed a protest resolution the same day, and the prefectural assembly is expected to vote on its own protest measures on Oct 9.
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Okinawa Governor Gen'o Koga used his first policy speech to the prefectural assembly on Oct 6 to condemn the arrest of a US Marine based at Futenma Air Station in Ginowan on suspicion of robbery-murder. Koga said the case was “extremely malicious” and gave residents great anxiety, adding that it “can never be allowed”, and he said the Japanese and US governments should take fundamental measures including revision of the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement. [ 1 , 2 ]
Koga is due to travel to Tokyo on Oct 7 to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi to ask for measures to prevent a recurrence, and to request that the Okinawa Policy Council, where the national government and the prefecture discuss base issues and development measures, be convened early. [ 2 , 3 ]
Nikkei reported that a woman's body was found at a hotel in Naha and that Marine Private Devin Ballard, 20, was arrested. Sankei dated the arrest by Okinawa police to Oct 4, and reported that Koga summoned Benjamin Watson, the US military's top Okinawa area coordinator, to the prefectural office on Oct 5 and protested. [ 2 , 3 ]
Local assemblies moved on the same day. Nikkei reported that the Naha city assembly unanimously passed a protest resolution on Oct 6 calling for prevention of recurrence and revision of the status-of-forces agreement, saying that repeated incidents involving US personnel keep threatening human dignity and daily life and that the responsibility of both governments, which have not taken effective measures, is grave. Asahi reported that the prefectural assembly's special committee on US base affairs met on the afternoon of Oct 6 and finalised a protest resolution and opinion paper for a plenary vote expected on Oct 9; the drafts said Futenma base still exists 30 years after the return agreement, that this “shows the limits of the US military's discipline and education system”, and that the assembly cannot suppress its intense anger. [ 1 , 2 ]
On the government side, Sankei reported that Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told a press conference on Oct 6 that the case “gives great anxiety to the local area and must not happen”, and that Japan takes it extremely regrettably. Motegi summoned US Ambassador Glass to the foreign ministry on Oct 4, immediately after the arrest, and strongly protested, asking for discipline among US military personnel and measures to prevent a recurrence, according to the same report. [ 3 ]
Sankei said the government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party feel a sense of crisis, noting that Koga was elected in September's gubernatorial election with LDP backing and accepts relocating Futenma to Henoko, and that the government wants to discuss prevention measures with the United States. The documents do not say whether the two governments have agreed on any such measures. [ 3 ]
Почему это важно
The case lands weeks after a governor who accepts the Futenma relocation to Henoko won Okinawa's election with backing from the ruling camp, so the national government has an interest in a fast, visible response. The documents show the dispute widening beyond the criminal case to the status-of-forces agreement and the base's long-delayed return, the issues that have shaped Okinawan politics for decades.
Ключевые факты
- A US Marine based at Futenma Air Station in Ginowan, Okinawa, was arrested on suspicion of robbery-murder. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Okinawa Governor Gen'o Koga condemned the case in his first policy speech to the prefectural assembly, calling it extremely malicious and a source of great anxiety for residents. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Koga asked the Japanese and US governments for fundamental measures, including revision of the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Koga is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in Tokyo on Oct 7 to seek prevention of recurrence. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Naha city assembly unanimously passed a protest resolution on Oct 6 calling for prevention of recurrence and revision of the status-of-forces agreement. [ 2 ]
- Okinawa Prefectural Assembly's base affairs committee finalised a protest resolution and opinion paper, with a plenary vote expected on Oct 9. [ 1 ]
- Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the case “must not happen” and that Japan takes it extremely regrettably. [ 3 ]
Подтверждено несколькими источниками
- A US Marine from Futenma Air Station was arrested on suspicion of robbery-murder. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Governor Gen'o Koga publicly condemned the case and called for fundamental measures, including revision of the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Koga is due to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Oct 7. [ 2 , 3 ]
Пока неясно
- The identity, age and circumstances of the victim, beyond a woman's body being found at a hotel in Naha. Only Nikkei gives any detail of the case, and no document names the victim or describes how the death occurred.
- Whether the Japanese and US governments will actually agree to revise the status-of-forces agreement or to specific prevention measures. The call for revision comes from Koga and the assemblies; Sankei reports only that the government wants to discuss prevention measures with the US.
- The outcome of the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly vote set for Oct 9. Asahi reports the resolutions were drafted and a vote is expected, but no result is given.
- The precise timing of the arrest and of the governor's protest to the US side. Sankei dates the arrest to Oct 4; Nikkei dates Koga's protest to the US Okinawa area coordinator to Oct 5, and no document gives clock times for either.
Что пишут местные СМИ
Хронология, местное время
- Oct 4: Okinawa police arrest the Marine; Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summons US Ambassador Glass to the foreign ministry and protests. [ 3 ]
- Oct 5: Governor Koga summons Benjamin Watson, the top US military Okinawa area coordinator, to the prefectural office and protests. [ 2 ]
- Oct 6: Asahi reports the prefectural assembly opened and Koga criticised the case ahead of his policy speech; the assembly's base affairs committee meets in the afternoon and finalises a protest resolution and opinion paper. [ 1 ]
- Oct 6: Nikkei reports Koga's policy speech and the Naha city assembly's unanimous protest resolution. [ 2 ]
- Oct 6: Sankei reports Motegi's press conference remarks and the government's response since the arrest. [ 3 ]
- Oct 7: Koga is due in Tokyo to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Oct 9: The Okinawa Prefectural Assembly plenary session is expected to vote on the protest resolution and opinion paper. [ 1 ]