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September 23, 2015

Okinawa Governor Turns to U.N. Panel to Oppose New U.S. Base 
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The governor of Okinawa, Japan, has brought his battle against the
construction of a new U.S. military base to the United Nations Human
Rights Council in Geneva. Takeshi Onaga addressed the council Monday
after he was elected last year on a platform to stop the base. Speaking
Tuesday, Onaga urged the international community to oppose the new U.S.
base as a violation of human rights and self-determination.

Gov. Takeshi Onaga: "The question is why the issue of bases and national
security is a human rights issue. Let me tell you this: Japan placed
Okinawa for 27 years under U.S. military administration. We were neither
Japanese nor Americans. And during that time, many things happened,
including a rape of a girl, a jet crashing into the ground of a primary
school, and hit-and-run deaths by a U.S. soldier who was acquitted and
sent home. And after the return, we found out there is a lot of
pollution from toxins, like dioxins, and there is an environmental
issue. And even to investigate that, we cannot do it because it is not
possible during the U.S.-Japan agreement."

 

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