Defense Minister Koizumi meets with Okinawa governor on 7th to discuss US soldier arrest and prevent recurrence

On the 7th, Governor Genta Koja of Okinawa Prefecture will come to Tokyo for the first time since taking office, and will meet with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the Prime Minister's Office. He will also meet with Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Mogi. The group plans to protest the incident in which a Marine assigned to the U.S. military's Futenma Air Base (Ginowan City, Ginowan Prefecture) was arrested on suspicion of robbery and murder, and to demand that a recurrence be prevented and that the U.S. military improve its discipline.

Okinawa Governor protests to US military chief in Okinawa, demands review of Status of Forces Agreement

Speaking to reporters at the prefectural office on the 6th, Koja reiterated, ``This is a despicable incident in which a prefectural citizen died and his property was stolen.'' He expressed his intention to seek effective measures to prevent recurrence, such as thorough training when he joins the U.S. military and thorough education when he is posted to Japan.

Koizumi pointed out at a press conference, ``Incidents and accidents involving U.S. military personnel cause great anxiety to local communities, and should never happen.'' "After listening to the governor's opinion, I would like to communicate with the U.S. side and think about what we can do to prevent this from happening again," he said.

``I would like to proceed with discussions between Japan and the United States on how to take effective measures,'' Motegi said at a press conference.