Japan Press Weekly

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2024 July 10 - 16 [US FORCES]

Okinawa Prefectural Assembly unanimously protests against sexual assaults by US military

The Okinawa Prefectural Assembly on July 10 unanimously adopted a statement lodging a solemn protest against a recent string of sexual assaults of women and girls by U.S. servicemen in Okinawa.

The statement demands that an official apology and full compensation be provided to the victims and that the U.S. military and the Japanese government take effective measures aimed at ensuring that a crime involving U.S. military personnel will be reported to the relevant local municipality immediately.

In Okinawa, it was recently revealed that a U.S. airman assigned to the U.S. Kadena Air Base was indicted in March on charges of indecent kidnapping and nonconsensual sexual intercourse with a girl under 16. It also came to light that four sex crimes by U.S. soldiers against women and girls occurred in the past 18 months, but none of these were reported to the local municipalities concerned.

The statement stresses that sexual assaults against women and underage girls not only cause the victims deep suffering physically and mentally but also trample on their human dignity, and thus are extremely atrocious. It states that every time a U.S. soldier commits a crime, the Okinawa prefectural government urges the U.S. military to tighten military discipline and implement thorough preventive measures, but heinous offenses committed by U.S. military personnel continue unabated. The statement points out that a major factor behind this situation is that the U.S. military has problems with its policies regarding personnel management and human rights education.

The statement requires the Japanese government to adopt a firm stance to make public U.S. crimes while putting the protection of the victims’ privacy first. In addition, the statement calls for thorough measures to supply mental care for sexual assault victims and prevent them from experiencing “second rape” syndrome and PTSD. It also calls for a drastic revision of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement.

Past related articles:
> Yet another rape by US soldier concealed from public in advance of Okinawa assembly election [June 29 & 30, 2024]
> Okinawans strongly protest against Tokyo’s concealment of US soldier’s kidnapping and rape of underaged local girl [June 27, 2024]