Japanese protest against USA base - Arms/Asia
24/3/08
Residents of Okinawa have gathered to protest against the US military presence on the southern Japanese island, following a series of incidents allegedly involving US personnel, including the rape of a schoolgirl. Thousands of people attended Sunday’s demonstration, despite pouring rain, though the numbers were less than the 10,000 hoped for. “We must bring our anger to both the governments of Japan and the United States,” Tetsuei Tamayose, one of the organisers, told the crowd. The rally was organised by local residents angered after a 14-year-old girl last month accused a US Marine of rape. The girl later dropped charges against the Marine and he was released to the custody of US military authorities.
See: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/087CEE5F-75D7-4348-93E4-3631EEED5853.htm