Japan Press Weekly

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2014 December 10 - 16 [US FORCES]

US marine in Okinawa commits hit-and-run

Okinawa Police on December 10 announced that it has identified a U.S. marine officer as a suspect in a hit-and-run incident in Okinawa.

According to the police, 40-year-old Major John Ahn of the U.S. Marine Corps Camp Courtney in Okinawa’s Uruma City on December 4 drove away after hitting a 67-year-old local man on a major road in Okinawa City.

The police plans to send investigation reports on the incident to prosecutors.

Japanese Communist Party candidate for the general election in Okinawa, Akamine Seiken, released a statement concerning this matter.

In the statement, he noted that since the U.S. military relaxed restrictions on off-base drinking by U.S. military personnel in Okinawa on December 9, four incidents committed by drunken U.S. servicemen have already occurred.

Stating that under the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, U.S. soldiers’ crimes have often been exempted from Japan’s legal jurisdiction and kept away from public purview, Akamine stressed that the Japanese government should demand the hand-over of the suspect to Japanese authorities and thoroughly look into the incident.