News / Interviews

America still occupies Japan, Germany & Italy following WWII: Author

Tuesday, 07 February 2017 7:00 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 07 February 2017 7:00 PM ]

This file photo taken on November 14, 2014 shows multi-mission tilt-rotor Osprey aircraft at the US Marine Base in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture. (Photo by AFP)

People of Okinawa have held a sit-in to protest at Japanese government’s decision to relocate a US military base in their prefecture. While residents of the Okinawa Prefecture urge the removal of America’s Futenma base, Tokyo started offshore construction work on Monday to move the US marine base to Henoko on the eastern coast of Okinawa.

The United States holds its military bases around the world to continue its imperialist policies and occupy countries, said Stephen Lendman, author and radio host from Chicago.

“It is so appalling to me that all these years after World War II .... America still occupies these countries with the agreements [it has signed] with these countries,” Lendman told Press TV’s Top 5 on Tuesday.

America takes advantage of the European Union and all nations everywhere to pursue its imperialist agenda around the globe, the analyst added.

People in Okinawa and other places around the world cannot tolerate so much harm that the American imperialist policy has caused for billions of citizens worldwide, he noted.

After the World War II, the United States pushed Japan to sign an agreement to allow American military presence in the East Asian country. Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga has said that US military bases occupy 6 percent of the whole of Japan.

Lendman said, “Japan literally has gone along with US policy according to what’s called as SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) between America and Japan and of course America wrote it [in such a way as to] give America all rights, [and] Japan virtually none.”

According to the analyst, the United States claims that its military presence in other countries will create jobs for their people, “but jobs can be created by means other than military ones.”

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk