U.S. base supporters rally on Okinawa

NAHA, Japan, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- Rising Chinese-Japanese tensions prompted a rare show of support for U.S. bases on Okinawa Monday, demonstrators said.

About 250 supporters of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty attended a rally sponsored by the All Japan Jiritsu Saiken Network and the U.S. Forces Base Network Union, a union for Japanese working on military bases, Stars and Stripes reported.

Japanese-Chinese strains have mounted since the Japanese detained the captain and crew of a Chinese fishing vessel Sept. 8 after their boat struck Japanese coast guard vessels in disputed waters near the island of Ishigaki, between Okinawa and Taiwan. Fourteen crew members and the boat were returned to China Sept. 14, but the captain is facing criminal charges in Japan.

China is demanding the captain's release and has put off talks on joint development of a gas field in the disputed waters.

Konosuke Kokuba, a former Okinawa official, warned at the rally that growing opposition to the bases could boost Chinese power.

Base supporters are a small minority on Okinawa, where 90,000 people demonstrated in April against any U.S. base expansion, the report said.