NAHA–Police sent papers to prosecutors on a U.S. Navy sailor suspected of committing indecent acts against a teenage girl one month after a high-level Japan-U.S. conference on preventing U.S. military-related crimes in Okinawa Prefecture.
Okinawa prefectural police said on Nov. 19 that they informed the Okinawa prefectural government of the incident when they sent the case to prosecutors on Nov. 7.
Governor Denny Tamaki expressed growing frustration with the lack of progress on keeping Okinawa residents safe.
“All we can do is keep strongly telling the U.S. military that such incidents must never happen,” Tamaki said. “We earnestly call on both the Japanese and U.S. governments to ensure an environment where people can live safely and securely.”
The U.S. serviceman in his 20s is accused of touching the body of the unacquainted teenage girl outdoors on Okinawa’s main island in June.
A person who heard the girl calling for help phoned the police, but when they arrived at the scene, the assailant had already fled.
Investigators identified the man from security camera footage installed around the site and contacted the U.S. military.
Although he was placed under the military’s control within a U.S. base, Okinawa police conducted several voluntary interviews with him there.
The Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) stipulates that Japan has jurisdiction over U.S. military personnel suspected of committing crimes while off-duty.
However, if the U.S. side detains the suspect, the U.S. military can hold that person until Japanese prosecutors indict the individual.
When The Asahi Shimbun asked Okinawa police if they had requested the U.S. military to hand over the suspect, a senior police official said the matter will be “dealt with by Japan-U.S. Joint Committee, and prefectural police are not the ones to answer such inquiries.”
The prefectural government on Nov. 10 conveyed its “regret” over the incident to the U.S. military and the Okinawa Defense Bureau of Japan’s Defense Ministry.
The prefecture reiterated its request for measures to prevent a recurrence and a thorough education of personnel within U.S. bases.
CASES ON RECORD PACE
In response to a series of sexual assault cases involving U.S. service members that came to light starting last year, U.S. military police began conducting monthly patrols around entertainment districts in Okinawa and Naha cities around April.
They have been enforcing regulations that prohibit military personnel from entering bars between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. They urge violators to return home and detain those who refuse to comply.
In addition, a forum to exchange opinions on the safety issue among officials of U.S. Forces Japan, the prefectural government and the Japanese government was held in May.
However, crimes and other incidents involving U.S. service members have continued in Okinawa Prefecture, police say. These cases include drunken driving, hit-and-run incidents and unlawful entry.
This year, 82 cases involving U.S. military personnel and related individuals had been identified by October, according to prefectural police.
The number has already exceeded the 73 cases for all of 2024, the highest annual total in the past 20 years.
(This article was written by Kazufumi Kaneko and Satsuki Tanahashi.)
AloJapan.com