Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2013 March 6 - 12 [US FORCES]

Crimes by US military concentrated around US bases

It has been revealed that crimes in Okinawa committed by U.S. military personnel are concentrated in areas around U.S. bases.

At the request of Japanese Communist Party Okinawa Prefectural Assembly member Toguchi Osamu, the Okinawa Prefectural Police Headquarters on March 6 released the findings of U.S. crimes. This is the first time for the prefectural police to publish the data of each district police station.

According to the released materials, U.S. military personnel have committed a total of 1,805 criminal offenses in the prefecture from 1989 to 2013. Of them, the largest number is 1,045 handled by the Okinawa police department, which has the U.S. Kadena Air Base in its jurisdiction. It is followed by 287 of the Ginowan police department with jurisdiction over the U.S. Futenma base and 167 of the Ishikawa police department with Camp Courtney in its district.

Tellingly, no crimes by U.S. soldiers occurred in the areas of the police departments of Itoman and Miyako, which have no U.S. bases.

The number of traffic accidents caused by U.S. military members was 1,968 in total from 2001 to 2008. Of them, 952 were recorded by the Okinawa police, followed by 287 of the Ginowan, and 172 of the Kadena police. In contrast, the number totaled only 6 in the area of the Itoman police, and zero in the Miyako police jurisdiction.

Toguchi said in a prefectural assembly session, “It has become clear that hardly any crimes occur in areas where no U.S. base is located. A total withdrawal of U.S. bases is the only way to eliminate crimes by U.S. forces.”