Japan's Okinawa Assembly Protests over US Military Accidents

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, August 12, 2002

Japan's Okinawa Assembly Protests over US Military Accidents

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Japan's Okinawa prefectural assembly on Monday unanimously passed a resolution protesting a series of recent US military accidents, which it said threatened residents in the prefecture, Japan's Kyodo News reported.

The resolution included a request to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and US Ambassador to Japan Howard Baker to set up a communications system about reports of military drills and for a drastic revision of the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement, according to Kyodo.

The assembly criticized the resumption of live-ammunition exercises by US forces for causing residents tremendous anxiety, it said.

The string of accidents included obstruction of fishing operations near the prefecture's Kumejima Island.

In addition, two US F-15 warplanes at Kadena air base caught fire, while a US Marine Corps CH-53 helicopter from Futemma Air Station made an emergency landing on a shore about 50 meters from private homes in the city of Ginowan, Kyodo said.

Two US fighters and a transport plane last Friday had to make emergency landings at Kadena due to technical problems, according to the report.

Meanwhile, US soldiers doing target practice at the No.10 range in Nago on the main Okinawa island are believed to have shot bullets into nearby farmers' fields, Kyodo said.

The Okinawa prefectural government had sent a written request for safety controls to the US forces last Tuesday.

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