It has been 50 years since the "Koza riot" that occurred in 1970 when Okinawa was under the control of the United States, triggered by a traffic accident caused by an American soldier.
Even after returning to Japan, Okinawa still has issues surrounding its base, such as restrictions on the investigation of military-related incidents and accidents under the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement.
The "Koza riot" was caused by people burning 82 cars, including military personnel, in the wake of a traffic accident caused by an American soldier in Koza, now Okinawa City, on December 20, 1970.
In Okinawa at that time under American rule, the Okinawa side did not have the right to judge the American soldiers who caused the incident or accident, and the "Koza riot" is said to symbolize the anger of the citizens of the prefecture under the rule.
On the 19th, a symposium was held in Okinawa City to look back on the "Koza riot", and one of the organizers, Toyomitsu Higa, a photographer who recorded the scene at that time, said, "The" Koza riot "is absurd because it has a base. I think this is the first battle of the people derived from. I hope the next generation will pass on this memory. "
Two years after the "Koza Riot", Okinawa returned to Japan, but 70% of the dedicated facilities of the US Forces in Japan are still concentrated, and the citizens of Okinawa continue to be troubled by the noise of military aircraft.
In addition, incidents and accidents involving military personnel have continued, and investigations on the Japanese side may be restricted under the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement, leaving issues surrounding the base.
Approximately 6,000 U.S. military personnel arrested for criminal offenses since returning to Japan
According to police, about 6,000 U.S. military personnel have been arrested for criminal offenses in Okinawa since returning to Japan.
In 1995, an American soldier assaulted a girl.
Four years ago, in 2016, a man who was a civilian employee of the US military killed a woman in an attempt to sexually assault her.
The number of incidents and accidents has gradually decreased since the return, and since 2013, the number of criminal offenses arrested has remained below 50. However, in 2004, the U.S. military was assigned to Okinawa International University in Ginowan City. In addition to the military blocking a corner of the university campus in the event of a helicopter crash, in 2017, when a US military helicopter made an emergency landing on a private pasture in the Takae area of Higashimura and burned. The military did not disclose the names and affiliations of the soldiers it was piloting to the Japanese police.
Under the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement, incidents and accidents caused by U.S. military personnel may restrict the investigation on the Japanese side, and the absurdity that people angry at the "Koza riot" is still half a century later. It has not been completely resolved.