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Okinawans mobilise in

protest ahead of

Clinton's visit

TOKYO: Rapidly mounting hostility towards the US military presence in the southern Japanese island of Okinawa appears set to cast a shadow over President Bill Clinton's visit to Japan, just over a week away.

A landlord is suing the Japanese government, demanding the return of his land following the expiry of a US military lease, and a US marine has been charged with an embarassing hit-and-run against the car of the Okinawan governor.

One resident has filed a compensation writ after his wife and two daughters were killed in a collision with a car, allegedly driven by a female US soldier, and another is claiming that a site of cultural importance has been destroyed by the construction of radar facilities.

But it was the rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan schoolgirl by three US troops that first galvanized the bitter public outcry. Many islanders are not happy, despite Tokyo's best efforts to calm an angry and outspoken population.

"Anti-war struggle rising again in Okinawa," the English-language Yomiuri Daily News said in its front-page headline on Saturday.

A source of deep embarrassment to authorities has been the crusade of Shoichi Chibana, a 47-year-old grocer, who is suing the government for the return of land leased by the United States.

Following the expiry of the 20-year lease in March, he is also demanding immediate access to the land, a request the government has no apparent legal right to refuse.

The case has become a rallying point of resentment on Okinawa against the 28,000-strong military presence there. Overall there are 48,000 US troops deployed in Japan.

Having first forbidden Chibana access to his land, Tokyo change d its tone on Friday with a compromise offer from government spokesman Seiroku Kajiyama that he could enter the area, but only if accompanied by family members.

Chibana was not impressed, saying he wanted to go with lawyers and journalists. Chibana enjoys support of many residents of the island, including its governor, Masahide Ota, who has defied a court order in refusing to renew expired leases for US bases.

Only 35 landlords owning some 35,000 square metres have so far come out against renewing leases, but many others whose contracts with the military are up in the coming years have said they will do the same.

The next hearing of Chibana's case is April 17, the day after Clinton arrives in Tokyo on a three-day visit aimed at sealing a declaration with Japan focusing on the necessity of maintaining the US-Japan military ties to preserve peace and stability in the region.-AFP