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Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

JCP calls for cancellation of deployment of U.S. Patriot missiles to Okinawa

Japanese Communist Party House of Representatives member Akamine Seiken on June 26 visited government offices in Okinawa and demanded that a U.S. plan to deploy surface-to-air guided Patriot missiles (PAC-3) to the U.S. Kadena Air Base in Okinawa be withdrawn.

Referring to news reports that the U.S. government has informed Japan of the planned deployment of PAC-3 missiles to the Kadena Base, Akamine said, "The deployment is a part of the Missile Defense program that the Japanese and U.S. governments are promoting in order to strengthen the U.S. bases in Okinawa as strategic strongholds for the U.S. preemptive attack strategy."

Akamine pointed out that the PAC-3 deployment contradicts the Japanese government's official position to reduce the local burdens of U.S. bases, and stressed that the deployment will never be condoned in the light of the Okinawans' consensus calling for the reduction of U.S. bases.

Akamine visited the Foreign Ministry's Okinawa Office and the Naha Defense Facilities Administration Office.
- Akahata, June 27, 2006