Japan Press Weekly

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2024 September 18 - 24 [US FORCES]

US soldier causes fatal car accident in Kanagawa

A U.S. soldier assigned to the U.S. Yokosuka Naval Base on September 18 caused a car crash that killed a Japanese man on a motorbike on a road near the base in Yokosuka City (Kanagawa Prefecture).

Two days later, in response to the accident, the Japanese Communist Party Yokosuka City Assemblymembers’ group made a representation to Mayor Kamiji Katsuaki to demand that the mayor lodge a protest directly with the commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Japan/Navy Region Japan.

In the representation, the JCP group pointed out that the mayor holds responsibility to protect citizens’ lives, and said that the mayor should urge the U.S. military to take thorough preventive measures and offer a sincere message of condolence to the bereaved family.

Furthermore, the JCP called on the mayor to request the U.S. military to inform all military personnel of the accident and to carry out a thorough traffic safety education program. The JCP also called on the mayor to visit the Yokosuka base and observe discipline training programs.

The JCP in the June assembly session pointed out that the replacement of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ronald Regan stationed at the Yokosuka base may lead to a certain increase in the number of military personnel and family members who live outside the base. Pointing out that U.S. soldiers in the past committed various crimes such as physical assaults and trespassing, the JCP demanded that the mayor confirm that discipline education is carried out reliably at the base. The mayor in reply refused to accept the JCP demand.