Nago City Council (chairman: Hideki Oshiro) convened its December ordinary session on Dec. 3 and unanimously passed a resolution and a written opinion to protest a series of incidents involving U.S. military servicemen in Okinawa Prefecture since the end of October, calling on the U.S. military to take effective measures to prevent recurrence.

Referring to the series of incidents involving U.S. forces servicemen (including an assault case in Nago City, a taxicab robbery in Uruma City, damage to property, and driving under the influence of alcohol), the resolution and the written opinion state, “These cases cause great concern to the people of Okinawa Prefecture. They make us angry because these cases show the lack of morals and the laxity of discipline in the U.S. military.”

The city assembly requests that: (1) perpetrators apologize to victims and compensate them for damages; (2) the U.S. military tighten its liberty policy and take effective measures to prevent recurrence; (3) the U.S. forces establish a working group for the prevention of incidents and accidents; and (4) the Status of Forces Agreement be fundamentally revised.

The resolution will be mailed to four recipients, including the Commander of U.S. Forces Japan and the U.S. Consul General Naha in Okinawa Prefecture, and the written opinion will be sent to six recipients, including the prime minister, the defense minister, and the director-general of the Okinawa Defense Bureau.