TOKYO, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The Okinawa prefectural parliament passed a resolution Thursday, protesting against the murder of a 20-year-old local woman by a U.S. military-affiliated civilian and demanding the withdrawal of U.S. Marines from the southernmost island prefecture.
The resolution, together with a statement issued by the parliament, also required a thorough revision of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) which defines the legal status of U.S. base personnel in Japan, abandonment of the plan to relocate Marine Corps Air Station Futenma base within the prefecture and scaling down of the U.S. bases.
The resolution and the statement were submitted by the Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party that control the Okinawa parliament, and won support from the Okinawa branch of the Komeito party.
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