Thursday marked exactly 30 years since three US service members stationed in the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa sexually assaulted a minor.
Crimes involving US military personnel stationed in the prefecture continue to occur.
On September 4, 1995, three US service members sexually attacked a girl in Okinawa. Police obtained arrest warrants for the three and demanded that the US forces hand them over.
But the US side refused and indicated that its decision was based on provisions in the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement. That led to massive protests in the prefecture.
In response to the situation, the US forces took measures to try to tighten discipline among its service members and prevent them from getting involved in crimes.
Despite their efforts, a 20-year-old Japanese woman was killed in 2016 by a US base worker who attempted to rape her.
Japanese police say that, between 1995 and 2024, 123 of the US military members involved in crimes that occurred in Okinawa were suspected of committing heinous offenses, such as murder, robbery and sexual assault.
Okinawa still hosts about 70 percent of the US military’s facilities in Japan. The prefectural government believes this is one of the main reasons that crimes involving people linked to the US military continue to occur.
It has been urging both governments to review the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement and take steps to have the US military bases streamlined. It believes doing so will reduce the burden on the prefecture.
AloJapan.com