Another Sexual Violence by US Soldier Revealed

Okinawa Prefectural Police submitted document for investigation to the public prosecutors office about the case in which a male member of US Marine Corps in Okinawa was suspected as causing injury on a woman with sexual assault. The governor of Okinawa, Denny Tamaki, expressed his firm regret against consecutive violence by personnel of US Force in Okinawa. Although the Command of US Forces Japan (USFJ) had taken measures to regulate activities of its soldiers, they did not work.

According to the police, A male soldier with Marine Corps in his age of thirties sexually assaulted a local woman in a room outside facility of US Force in Okinawa in November 2024. They did not know each other before the alleged crime. The woman did not give him a consent about the affair and she reported to the police immediately. The man is under protection of US Force, based on Japan-US State of Forces Agreement. The police have been making investigation on him through voluntary interviews.

 

Tamaki issued a comment with anger accusing both governments of US and Japan. “We doubt the efficiency of measures for preventing violence of US military personnel on the people in Okinawa. It is a serious situation in which discipline of the US Force is fundamentally questioned,” said Tamaki. Violence by US military personnel has been a serious problem for the people in Okinawa as much as unbalanced concentration of US military bases in Okinawa.

 

It was revealed in June 2024 that the government of Japan and local police had not reported about sexual assaults by US military personnel to Okinawa prefectural government. Governor Tamaki, together with the people in Okinawa, angrily demanded preventive measures to US Force and Japanese government. Okinawa Prefectural Police reviewed their system of sharing information about crimes of US Force.

 

USFJ set a rule in October 2024 for its personnel not to go out to drink in a bar from 1 to 5 a.m. It also prohibited its soldiers who had not finished educational program on sexual crimes going out of the US military base. Nevertheless, crimes of USFJ personnel in Okinawa have not eliminated. The crimes, such as rape or robbery, committed by US military personnel counted a record high of eight in 2024.

 

Twenty-five hundred people in Okinawa held a rally in December, protesting sexual violence of US Force’s soldier on a girl. They passed a resolution which demanded US Force apology and compensation, asking Japanese government immediate share of information and revision of Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement. Anger and disappointment of the people against US Force seems to be reaching a tipping point.

 

“It is important that the measures of USFJ work for preventing crimes or accidents. We will urge US Force thorough discipline,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi. US Marine Corps commented that the crime by its soldier did not reflect core value of US Force. It is unclear who is taking responsibility for eliminating the same kind of crimes.

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