Protests have erupted in Japan’s Okinawa prefecture and Tokyo as residents rally against sexual assaults allegedly committed by U.S. servicemen stationed in the region. On Thursday, around 30 locals gathered in front of the Okinawa prefectural government building, holding flowers and signs that read, “Never tolerate sexual violence” and “We cannot turn a blind eye to this.”
The demonstrations followed the Okinawa prefectural police’s announcement on Wednesday that two U.S. Marines in their 20s have been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of committing separate sexual assaults against women.
“When I saw the news, I felt extremely angry, thinking, ‘Not again?'” said protester Megumi Kamiya. She expressed frustration over joint patrols initiated by the U.S. military and local police in Okinawa’s entertainment districts, aiming to prevent such crimes. “The patrol people were walking around chatting and laughing. It seemed like it was just a performance,” she added.
Simultaneously, a solidarity protest took place in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo, where another group of about 30 people held signs saying, “Stop the U.S. military’s crimes” and “Listen to the Voice of Okinawa.” Organizer Masayuki Oku voiced his frustration, asking, “How can we call this Japan-U.S. security when the number of victims of sexual violence continues to increase?”
Local media reports indicate that three U.S. service members have been indicted amid a series of alleged sexual violence cases in Okinawa since June last year. Okinawa hosts approximately 70% of all U.S. military bases in Japan, despite making up only 0.6% of the country’s land area. The presence of these bases and the crimes committed by some U.S. personnel have long been sources of tension and grievance among the local population.
