OKINAWA, Okinawa Prefecture–A video showing an American civilian being slammed to the ground and detained by U.S. military police outside a local bar has gone viral, raising concerns about infringement of Japanese police authority outside U.S. installations.
U.S. Forces Japan has suspended unilateral military police patrols in the prefecture and is retraining patrol personnel while investigating the footage taken early on Nov. 23, according to Stars and Stripes, a U.S. military-affiliated media outlet.
In the video shared on Facebook, military police officers are seen slamming a man to the ground and attempting to handcuff him as he protests that they have “no right to touch me.”
The footage appears to have been taken on Gate 2 Street outside Kadena Air Base. Stars and Stripes identified the man as a former Marine captain.
Under the Japan-U.S. security agreement, U.S. policing applies only to American military personnel and their families under certain conditions and does not extend to civilians, even if they are U.S. citizens.
U.S. military police began unilateral patrols in April in nightlife districts of Okinawa and Naha to enforce an order barring off-base drinking between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.
The effort was prompted by a spate of sexual assault allegations against U.S. service members that surfaced last year and have led to convictions.
However, the military police patrols outside bases have raised concerns about overlapping with Japanese police authority and the risk of misidentifying tourists and residents.
Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki cautioned in October that any such activity should be carried out carefully to avoid problems.
AloJapan.com