Alwaght- Tens of thousands of protesters gathered on the Japanese island of Okinawa on Sunday in protest against the US military presence following violent crimes by American personnel.
Protesters, which organizers said numbered more than 50,000, gathered in the prefectural capital of Naha at 2 p.m. to voice their anger with the US after a former American Marine employed as a civilian base worker allegedly raped and murdered a young local woman in April, according to Japan Times.
The demonstration, held at an athletics park under scorching heat with many in attendance shielding themselves under umbrellas, began with a moment of silence for 20-year-old Rina Shimabukuro, the murder victim, and a message from her father.
"Why my daughter, why was she killed,” said the message, read on his behalf. “My thoughts are the same as those of all the bereaved families that have met with suffering up to now.”
The demonstrators were carrying signs in Japanese reading, “Our anger is past its limit,” and “Pull out the U.S. Marines.".
"I’m filled with sadness and I really don’t want any more victims,” Japan Times cited a participant as saying.
"As long as there are U.S. military bases, this kind of incident will continue to happen,” the 71-year-old protestor said.
A similar demonstration was being held simultaneously outside the Diet in Tokyo.
Protesters also want to see scrapped plans by Washington and Tokyo to move a major U.S. Marine facility in the center of the island to pristine waters off the northern coast.
The roots of US military presence goes back to the end of World War II when Okinawa was the site of a battle between Japan and the U., followed by a 27-year American occupation.
High-profile crimes have sparked large-scale protest rallies before on Okinawa.
In 1995, tens of thousands rallied following rape of a 12-year-old girl, which prompted Washington to pledge to reduce the US footprint on the fortified island
