Naha, Okinawa Pref., Oct. 6 (Jiji Press)–Okinawa Governor Genta Koja will visit Tokyo on Wednesday for the first time since his election last month to meet with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. Following the arrest of a U.S. Marine stationed at the Marine Corps’ Futenma air base in the Okinawa city of Ginowan for allegedly murdering a woman in the southern Japan prefecture over the weekend, Koja is poised to lodge a protest and demand measures to prevent a recurrence and improve the discipline of U.S. military personnel in Japan. Speaking to reporters at the prefectural government office on Tuesday, Koja said he will demand effective preventive measures, such as providing U.S. military personnel with thorough education before they are stationed in Japan. At a press conference in Tokyo, Koizumi said, “Incidents and accidents involving U.S. troops cause serious concern among local residents, and they must not happen.” “I will listen to what Governor Koja has to say and consider what we can do to prevent a recurrence while communicating with the United States,” the minister added. Motegi told a separate press conference that the government will advance talks with the United States on how to implement effective measures. At a meeting of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on the same day, participants expressed concerns that the latest incident could affect the Japan-U.S. alliance. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
