A terrible military accident took place. A US Marine helicopter at drill hit against the administrative building of Okinawa International University, falling to the ground in flames at around 2:15 p.m. on August 13th.

Right after the accident, US troops broke into the campus over the fence. They sealed off the site to prevent anyone other than them from entering the campus. (Not only students were forbidden to enter; even the president of the university was!) After staying there with no permission for days, the US military carried away the wreckage together with its loads (probably depleted uranium munitions), wrapping them all in plastic covers, in spite of strong protests from the OIU president. Who could tolerate this outrage!

With seething angers, OIU students in their Self-Governing Association started their protests right after the accident. Thanks to their efforts, people's protest against the military accident is growing wider and deeper throughout Okinawa prefecture.

US military drills using defective outdated helicopters

'A deafening explosive sound, like a war starting', said a junior high-school student. Residents in Ginowan City, and all those in the other districts in Okinawa as well, have been seized with fear. (Hundreds of students and workers who were in the campus at the moment had to run around, crying and screaming. Numerous pars of the helicopter also hit the neighbourhood, including a 8-metre-long rotor falling on a house and 25-centimetre-long metal parts breaking into a room where a young mother lying down with her baby.)

No cover-up! OIU students struggling to stop US troops taking the wreckage away (16 Aug. OIU entrance).

The copter is a CH-53D belonging to the US Marine Corps Kaneohe Base in Hawaii. The CH-53D is more than a transport helicopter though it is reported so. It's one of the largest landing helicopters for assault possessed by the US Marine Corps. And CH-53Ds are also known as 'flying coffins' because they are outdated and defective (produced from 1969 to 1972), often having caused accidents. Using such dangerous copters, the US Marine Corps has being carrying out its military drills against urban battle from its Futenma Air Station located in the densely populated district.

The US government is suffering miserable defeats in their aggression against Iraq. Mired in the protracted war, the US force has to intensify its military drills. It has been driven into the corner where it had to commit unskilled pilots in operations and to use defective machines for trainings.
Here lies the cause for the accident. The aggression against Iraq by the Bush administration based on its strategy of pre-emptive attack, the reorganization and strengthening of US military bases in Japan (particularly in Okinawa), the successive military drills carried out to strengthen the US force and its bases, and the full cooperation from the Japanese government based on the US-Japan military alliance - Exactly this conjuncture has necessitated the accident.

Oppose the strengthening of US military bases in Japan!

In every part of the land, water and sky of Okinawa, the US force still continues its military drills day and night even after the accident. Moreover, the US military occupied part of the OIU campus, sealed off the streets in the neighbourhood, authoritatively regulated Japanese officers from the local fire and police stations, rejected the request for investigation from prefectural police, and finally took the wreckage from the site (for keeping military secrets and covering up the truth). And all these were done with the agreement and cooperation from the Koizumi government.

This extreme arrogance of the US force has clearly shown that, in the event of emergency for the US military, it will give the exclusive priority to its own interests with cooperation and support from the Japanese government based on the US-Japan Security Treaty and the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), in disregard of damages on Japanese citizens. Here is the reason why angry voices are rising like a flood tide from the toiling masses, 'Okinawa is occupied by Americans, just like Iraq!'

Workers, students and the other people in Okinawa!

On the springboard of our long-standing angers for those tyrannical attitudes of the US military and for real damages they have imposed on us, let us build a powerful struggle against the war and the military alliance!

In every workplace, campus and neighbourhood, let us denounce the terrible accident! Denounce the removal of the wreckage! Don't let the US force cover up the truth!

Stop US Marines resuming their drills over densely populated Ginowan City! Remove Futenma Air Station as a sallying base for killing Iraqi people! Oppose any military drill by US forces in Okinawa! Stop the construction of a new Marine base! No construction of new facilities for anti-guerrilla drills!

The Okinawa prefectural authority headed by Governor Inamine Keiichi still holds the plan for a new Marine base under the pretext of the need to move Futenma Air Station to elsewhere and merely tries to 'disperse its functions to other bases' before the move. Denounce this policy of the Governor!

There are some parts in the opposition movement who are finding 'a realistic solution' in the Governor's plan and trying to lead people's struggle in this direction. In opposition to this degenerate attempt, let us fight aiming to remove the military bases and to renounce the US-Japan Security Treaty!

The Bush administration is now desperate to wipe out the resistance by Iraqi people. Exactly for massacring those Iraqi people, US Marines in Okinawa are prepared. Exactly for killing people in Iraq, they are carrying out their drills on our land.
Stop the US force attacking Iraqi people waging their resistance against US imperialism and its occupation of their land! In solidarity with Iraqi people, we fight to denounce the accident and to stop all military drills.

Oppose the continued occupation of Iraq by the US force!

Pull out Japanese troops, accomplices in the occupation and massacres!

Overthrow the Koizumi government helping the Bush administration strengthen US bases in Japan and rushing to revision of the Constitution!

(August 16th 2004)