Sat Jan 28, 2006 4:43 AM ET
TOKYO (Reuters) - Some 800 Japanese calling for an end to crimes by U.S. military personnel marched in protest on Saturday, a day after prosecutors indicted a U.S. sailor for killing and robbing a 56-year-old Japanese woman this month.
The demonstrators gathered in a park near a U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, and later held a march nearby, Kyodo news agency said.
"Not just in Yokosuka, but in cities with bases such as Okinawa...there are many incidents and accidents involving U.S. soldiers," Kyodo quoted Masahiko Goto, a lawyer who took part in the demonstration, as saying.
Japanese prosecutors on Friday indicted Seaman William Reese, 21, who was arrested this month on suspicion of killing and robbing Yoshie Sato on January 3 in Yokosuka.
The incident has come at an awkward time in U.S.-Japanese relations, as Tokyo and Washington attempt to hammer out a deal with local Japanese communities to reorganise U.S. bases in Japan in an attempt to make the U.S. military more flexible.
RockLee said:It seems the negative points outnumber the positive.
Hiroyuki Nagashima said:In the United States Armed Forces, a salary is cheap?:?
It is really hard to keep an eye on every military American stationed in Japan. What the US NEEDS to do is make sure their actions do not go un punished. In fact, for that kind of crime I would turn them over to Japanese authority. People like that make the rest of us look bad and if the US military doesn't take it seriously or allow Japanese authority to take action then it makes us look even worse.
back to the topic you guys.
P.s. I made this thread 1 year ago, but thanks for the cnn joke
In 1970 & 71 there were protest marches about twice a year every year near US military bases. They used to restrict us to base on the days marches were held to avoid trouble. They always told us they were put on by communist backed unions?
Uncle Frank
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It is really hard to keep an eye on every military American stationed in Japan. What the US NEEDS to do is make sure their actions do not go un punished. In fact, for that kind of crime I would turn them over to Japanese authority. People like that make the rest of us look bad and if the US military doesn't take it seriously or allow Japanese authority to take action then it makes us look even worse.
The US troops are like the British, above Japanese law.
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I think their concern is more about the dirty spot of foreigners in their nice homogenous society. Different cultures, different concerns.
Capster78 said:I have not heard much concern over noise or polution as there would be a military base here regaurdless the US was here or not. If we were not here, it would probably be a much larger base anyway.
You are quite correct pipokun and Capster is totally ignorant of the facts affecting average Japanese living near these bases. The governments of the US and Japan have even gone so far as paying for soundproofing of one room of houses affected by the noise. The sound proofing really sucks and does not do much to supress the noise and must've cost both countries millions. I know this for a fact as our house is located about 6 miles from Atsugi base in Sagamihara city and is directly along the flight path of US and Japanese jets taking off for training, both day and night.pipokun said:It is just your ignorance. So far, three class action lawsuits has been filed against the noise pollution since 1973.