Japanese threaten to throw out 'law-breaking' US troops
Thursday October 08 2009
Japan is threatening to ask American troops based on the island of Okinawa to leave the country amid growing resentment over high crime rates.
Around 50,000 American troops are based in Japan, and around two-thirds of the total are in Okinawa.
Resentment against their presence has grown after a series of crimes committed by service personnel.
Many of the crimes are relatively trivial, but some cases have brought tens of thousands of protesters on to the streets. In February 2008, a case against a marine accused of raping a girl aged 14 was dropped after she withdrew the accusation, apparently to avoid the ordeal of a trial.
Katsuya Okada, the foreign minister, said he wanted US troops to remain in Japan but that the concentration on Japan's most southerly islands needed to be reduced.
"The only way this presence can be sustained in the long term is to make sure that the burden on the Okinawans is decreased," he said.
"Only by accomplishing these goals will we be able to ensure that the US-Japan alliance will be sustainable." (©Daily Telegraph, London)
- Julian Ryall in Tokyo
Irish Independent
