Japanese citizens rally in Tokyo to protest crimes by U.S. Forces in Japan

Japanese citizens gathered near the U.S. embassy in Tokyo on Wednesday evening to protest a recent case in which a U.S. Marine stationed in Japan's Okinawa allegedly robbed and murdered a local woman, and to oppose an upcoming Japan-U.S. joint military exercise.



Protesters chanted slogans including "U.S. military bases out of Okinawa" and "U.S. military, stop killing." Police deployed officers and patrol cars to keep order, and at times there was pushing and shoving between officers and protesters.



One participant, who gave her name as Ishiyama, told reporters that the incident was horrifying. Japan has long put the burden of hosting U.S. military bases on Okinawa, she said, adding that under the pretext of "safeguarding Japan," Okinawans have been treated as expendable pawns.



Matsumoto, another protester, said that as long as U.S. troops remain stationed in Okinawa, similar cases will keep happening.



Following the incident, the U.S. military in Okinawa suspended normal operations for 48 hours and imposed a curfew from midnight to 5 a.m. local time for 30 days. Matsumoto said the measures may have been intended to avoid affecting the upcoming military exercise and are "not truly aimed at preventing similar cases from happening again."