Thread: Japan anger at US troop incidents

Japan anger at US troop incidents

Further incidents involving US troops posted in Japan could "shake the foundation" of US-Japanese ties, Japan's defence minister has said.

Shigeru Ishiba also urged the US to take concrete prevention measures.

The warning comes after two rape allegations in 10 days against US servicemen on the island of Okinawa.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura announced new surveillance measures agreed with the US to guard against crime around US bases.

Last week, a US marine living off base was arrested, accused of raping a 14-year-old girl.

The marine admits forcibly kissing her but denies rape. US military and civilian officials have apologised for the incident.

Security review

Speaking during a parliamentary meeting, Mr Ishiba said promises to improve behaviour in the future were not enough.

"I don't think an alliance is possible unless the US shares the view that if incidents like this continue to happen, it could shake the foundation of the Japan-US alliance," Mr Ishiba said.

Also on Friday, Mr Komura said Japan was looking into installing security cameras and conducting joint patrols.

The US and Japan had agreed to review security criteria for off-base residency, he said.

A 24-hour curfew has already been imposed on US troops, their families and civilians working for the military on Okinawa.

On Friday, the military held a "day of reflection" to encourage troops not to commit crimes.

Okinawa is a key hub because of its proximity to the Taiwan Strait.

Nearly 45,000 US troops, non-military staff and their families were in Okinawa as of the end of January, according to Japan's foreign minister.

Of those, 10,748 were living off base.

This week a second allegation surfaced against a US serviceman accused of raping a Filipino woman at a hotel in Okinawa.

As well as the rape cases, there have been allegations of other, more minor crimes including drink-driving and break-ins.

Yep, our billion dollar empire is really paying off in winning the hearts and minds of the world. :sarcasm:

When did we get an empire? Last time I checked, this morning, we were still a republic.

I don't think we really need to read too much into two random incidents associated only by their temporal proximity to each other. As the article mentions, there are 48,000 troops there, and 10,000 of them live off the base. You'd be foolish to expect that there aren't a couple of bad apples in that bunch somewhere. As long as such incidents are dealt with properly I'm sure this is nothing to raise an eyebrow at.

Two negative incidents. It must be a slow news day. I wonder how many acts of kindness on the part of our troops are simply overlooked for lack of sensationalism.

It would be different if the US ignored the allegations. What's happened in the past on Okinawa is that the accused are tried under the UCMJ and if found guilty are turned over to the local civil authorities for processing.

Originally Posted by Defensor

Japan anger at US troop incidents


Yep, our billion dollar empire is really paying off in winning the hearts and minds of the world. :sarcasm:

What, you think because a thug goes abroad that their criminal actions stop? You think only GIs are guilty of atrocities? You believe that foreigners that come to the US, including foreign military, are all sweet little fuzz balls?
Give me a break!!!

Japan is Japan - they don't have a "things happen" kind of attitude.

The headline in English was "US soldier arrested for rape of minor". I wouldn't be surprised if the healdine in Japanese was "Filthy foreigners continue rape of Japanese! Powerless government agencies blame immigration, foreign influences and the natural genetic failings of foreigners"

Somewhere right now a Honda exec is telling a Japanese MP, "we cannot allow North Americans and Europeans to import cars, they rape 14 year olds" and the MP is nodding, "yes, it's true, we must protect our markets".

And good luck getting US beef in there now. Any attempt to life that embargo will be met with, "how can we trust child-rapists to make safe beef for our people. We all know the Japanese people have more delicate stomaches than foreigners. We must err on the side of caution for now".


Me? Bitter and vengeful???? No! I love my mother in law, why do you ask????

I just like the sign the Japanese woman is carrying..."No rape!"

Very funny. As if she needs to carry a sign to let us all know that she is opposed to rape. Thanks for clearing that up for us, honey. So let me get this straight, so I'm not confused...rape is bad, right?

Originally Posted by splansing

I just like the sign the Japanese woman is carrying..."No rape!"

Very funny. As if she needs to carry a sign to let us all know that she is opposed to rape. Thanks for clearing that up for us, honey. So let me get this straight, so I'm not confused...rape is bad, right?

LOL Good post.

I think we should wipe this incident clean from the history books, pretend it never happened, and create a shrine in honor of the accused "rapist".