By Paul Eckert

GINOWAN, Japan, Oct 21 (Reuter) - Up to 85,000 Okinawans, many more than expected, chanted slogans from another era including "Yankee Go Home" on Saturday in the biggest-ever protest against U.S. bases on this battle-scarred Japanese island.

The protest, sparked by the alleged rape by three U.S. servicemen of a 12-year-old girl, tapped into resentment at the island's role as the main base for American troops in Japan.

A small group tried to burn a U.S. flag and several hundred people broke away from the rally and marched on Futenma Air Base where they shouted "Go Home" at guards before dispersing.

The rally was staged at a time of increasing tension between the world's two most powerful economies which are embroiled in disputes about a trade war and economic spying.

Organisers said demonstrators numbered 85,000, far more than the forecast 50,000. Police estimated 60,000.

The protest ended without incident after two hours and police said the demonstrators dispersed in an orderly manner.

The rally adopted by acclamation a resolution condemning the United States for an "occupation mentality."

"Such brutal crimes, which have been repeatedly committed by U.S. military personnel, clearly show decline of discipline (by U.S. forces) and indicate the deep-rooted occupation mentality that has lasted to this day," the resolution said.

A group called the "Okinawa-Osaka Solidarity Committee to Prevent U.S. President Clinton from Visiting Osaka for APEC" were briefly detained when they tried to burn a U.S. flag.

Young Japanese in swimsuits joined national politicians wearing business suits in a grassy park in this port city normally flooded with U.S. troops on weekend leave.

However, on this day there was no sign of the 24,000 troops -- more than half the 44,000 based in Japan -- who live on Okinawa, site of bloody fighting at the end of World War Two and the only Japanese territory invaded during the conflict.

On the sprawling U.S. military compounds one mile (two km) from the protest, camp newspapers urged troops "to respect the Okinawans' right of peaceful assembly" and to avoid the area.

Okinawa was returned to Japan in 1972 after serving as a staging base for U.S. forces in the Vietnam and Korean wars.

The 12-year-old girl was raped on September 4 and it took weeks for the U.S. military to turn over to local police the three accused servicemen, who go on trial on November 7.

On Tuesday tempers rose again when a U.S. F-15 jet crashed off Okinawa, leading to fears of a similiar crash on land.

"I first must apologise to Okinawans for not being able to protect the dignity and safety of a young helpless girl," Okinawa Governor Masahide Ota told the rally.

The rally demanded the U.S. and Japan governments apologise to and compensate the girl, tighten troop discipline, eliminate legal privileges such as not turning over suspects until their indictment, and cut the number of bases on the island.

The resolution took Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama's government to task for failing "to take determined diplomatic measures and resorting to weak-kneed diplomacy" in trying to solve the issue with its main military ally.

The controversy has held up renewal of some leases on land where the bases are located.

Ironically, the only significant group missing from the rally was the major federation of property owners who lease their land to the U.S. military.

About 75 percent of U.S. bases in Japan are on Okinawa, a tropical island accounting for only 0.6 percent of the nation's land.

"Please don't misunderstand " said teacher Katsuzo Yamaka. "This is not an anti-America rally, it's an anti-base rally."

--REUTER

Back to Home Page