Japan Press Weekly

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2024 July 31 - August 6 [POLITICS]

Gov’t displays so-what attitude toward criticism of concealment of US soldiers’ sex crimes

Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamikawa Yoko on July 30 in an unapologetic manner said that she sees no problem with not informing the Okinawa Prefectural government about the sexual assault of an underage girl by a U.S. soldier last December.

Kamikawa made this remark in response to Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Akamine Seiken at a Lower House Security Committee meeting held on the day while the Diet is in recess.

Akamine criticized the Foreign Minister for hiding information about the U.S. soldier’s sex crime last December from the Okinawa Prefectural government. He asked why the minister did not provide information about the crime to the prefectural authority when she received a report on the crime in accordance with the procedures for reporting incidents involving U.S. forces in Japan, which the Japanese and U.S. governments agreed upon in 1997.

Kamikawa in response said that the ministry took into account the protection of the victim’s privacy and the impact on police investigations, justifying the ministry’s failure to notify the prefecture about the crime.

Stating that as a matter of course, the victim’s privacy should be protected, Akamine asked if the 1997 reporting procedures have a provision that allows the protection of the victims’ privacy to be used as the reason for not giving the relevant local municipality information about U.S. crimes. Kamikawa in reply said, “There is no such provision.”

Akamine said that it is unacceptable for Japan’s Foreign Ministry to adopt the stance of standing on the side of the U.S. military, and stressed, “In order to prevent a recurrence of crimes by U.S. military personnel, the government should release information on crimes and arrests.”

Past related issue:
> Gov’t hid from Okinawa US airman’s sexual assault of minor for 3 months [June 27, 2024]