Okinawa Governor Asks U.S. Military To Be Confined to Their Bases After USFJ Ends Three Week Lockdown
If the Okinawa governor had his way he would have the U.S. military lockdown on base forever:
Also Monday, Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki on Twitter said he wrote the commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, Lt. Gen. James Bierman Jr., asking that U.S. troops on Okinawa remain on their installations, despite the end of a three-week COVID-19 confinement order that lapsed that day. U.S. service members, civilian employees and family members were restricted to their homes and military installations across Japan to help stem the virus’ spread.
Tamaki sent the same message to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asking that the U.S. military “extend the period of off-base activity restrictions on all military members stationed in US bases in Okinawa until the surge is over.”
A III MEF spokesman said the Marines were guided by their higher headquarters, consistent with the prefecture’s own messaging.
“We remain in line with [Okinawa prefectural government’s] request of its own citizens, per higher headquarters’ guidance,” Capt. Gabe Adibe told Stars and Stripes by email Tuesday.
Stars & Stripes
You can read more at the link, but if the governor is not locking down his own citizens than why should the U.S. military lock down their personnel especially after voluntarily doing so for three weeks.
It’s probably safer for the GIs to stay on base. The Chrysanthemum Crowd doesn’t even like Okinowans.
However, there needs to be some respect given to the GIs who spend copiously in support of the local economy. And protect it from Beijing, by the way.
Maybe that’s the real story here? Chinese money filling pockets in Oki gummint offices?
Because Japan blames you Americans for bringing the Omicron. Their media is livid with how the USFK personnel were tested for COVID before they were sent to South Korea, while the USFJ didn’t – and ended up spreading the Omicron to Japan which was supposedly COVID-free before that happened. Japan is ignoring the important fact that South Korea had a very stringent quarantine procedure for arrivals from overseas while stringently testing the general population. On the other hand, Japan’s COVID response was basically a disaster followed by the brainwashing of their population that the Japanese are genetically superior humans that COVID wouldn’t infect them. Both the USFK and USFJ did exactly what they were asked to do – follow the rules of Romans in Rome. Japan should look itself in the mirror before blaming its epidemic on the USFJ.