Okinawa demands U.S. military halt flights over schools, hospitals amid rising accidents

TOKYO, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- A resolution demanding all U.S. military flights over schools and hospitals be suspended was unanimously adopted by the Okinawa prefectural assembly on Thursday.

The move by the prefectural parliament of Okinawa in Japan's southernmost prefecture follows a window falling from a U.S. military helicopter last week and landing on the grounds of an elementary school narrowly missing children taking a sports class there.

"No more threat to the lives of people in Okinawa should be tolerated," part of the resolution states, with the same message of protest being carried by a number similar resolutions also adopted by municipal assemblies in Okinawa.

The resolution refers to other military-linked accidents in Okinawa, aside from the latest accident involving a military transport chopper, including another CH-53E helicopter crashing and catching fire near the U.S. military's Northern Training Area, just 300 meters away from a residential area in Okinawa in October.

Along with the resolution, a statement of protest was also sent by the assembly to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. Ambassador to Japan William Hagerty highlighting the frequency of U.S. military-linked accidents in Okinawa.

According to the assembly, "a feeling of distrust is mounting among Okinawa people as these incidents vividly illustrate that the U.S. military's measures to prevent similar accidents are not functioning." Enditem