Okinawa And The U.S. Military

New York Times: Okinawa Murder Case Heightens Outcry Over U.S. Military’s Presence

OKINAWA, Japan — Memorial Day weekend is normally party time on Gate Street, a seedy strip of bars and clubs outside a giant United States Air Force base here.

During this year’s holiday, though, Gate Street was all but deserted, its customers — young Americans from the military installations that blanket much of this southern Japanese island — barred by their superiors from partying in public.

The reason: a recent murder that has angered Okinawans and damaged relations between Tokyo and Washington.

The killing of the 20-year-old Okinawan woman, whose body was found decomposing in a suitcase last month, has been linked to an American military contractor who is a Marine veteran. The outcry after the man, Kenneth Franklin Shinzato, was arrested on May 19 has been so strong that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe protested publicly to President Obama during the president’s recent trip to Japan.

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WNU Editor: These crimes do cause a problem. But Okinawa is recognized by both Japan and the U.S. to be a critical component in both country's national defense .... and while the outcry and protests will continue, the policy itself is not going to change.