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OKINAWA, Japan : Thousands demonstrated against the US military on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa on Sunday, following a string of incidents involving US personnel, including alleged rapes.
Despite pouring rain and harsh wind, demonstrators took to the streets, raising their fists and shouting slogans in protest over the heavy US military presence on the island.
"We must bring our anger to both the governments of Japan and the United States," Tetsuei Tamayose, one of the lead organisers, said in an address to the crowd.
The rally was organised by local residents infuriated by the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl by a US Marine last month.
It was one of the largest demonstrations against the US military here since 1995, after three US servicemen gang-raped a 12-year-old, setting off a process to reduce the number of US troops stationed on Okinawa.
"We demand the government take effective action to stop the violation of Okinawa people's human rights," according to a resolution read out by the protesters.
"We demand the US military presence, namely the Marines, to be reduced."
The participants, including elderly sitting on camping chairs and families with small children, clapped their hands in approval of the resolution.
But Okinawa governor Hirokazu Nakaima, an ally of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, failed to appear, angering rally organisers.
Organisers, who had said they expected more than 10,000 people to turn up, estimated the crowd at 6,000.
Seiji Taminato, an 81-year-old sheltering from the elements under an umbrella, said he could not have stayed at home with the demonstration going on.
"People are very angry ... I feel bad for women and children here," he said.
"I have watched Okinawa since wartime," he said. "Does the United States still insult Okinawa even 60 years after the war?"
Following last month's alleged rape, the US military imposed a round-the-clock curfew for about two weeks on its soldiers and their relatives on Okinawa and at two other US bases in Japan.
Japanese prosecutors dropped the case, as the teenage girl did not want to pursue it amid intense media attention.
But with more high-profile crimes linked to servicemen even after the girl's alleged rape, feeling against the US military presence here has remained high.
The US military has taken into custody a 22-year-old deserter from the Yokosuka Navy base, south of Tokyo, for questioning over a killing of a taxi driver last week.
It is also investigating allegations that a US serviceman raped a Filipina woman in Okinawa last month.
The US military is stationed in Japan under a security treaty to defend Washington's key Asian ally, which has been officially pacifist since World War II. - AFP/de
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