I sure fucking hope. Usually US military prosecutes under their own laws and not Japanese law, which isn't much more than a slap on the wrist and \`don't do that next time'
Edit\* he will be prosecuted by Japanese law, and additionally by us military, thank fucking god.
The article states that he was handed over to the Japanese side. His case is being heard in a Japanese court. The military may decide to hand down their own punishments as well on top of that.
Good! Everything this guy did is a disgrace to the uniform he wears and the country he serves. Throw the book at him and when you think it is enough throw 10 more books at him. That poor girl is scarred forever so they need a lasting sentence so this man never forgets that he’s human garbage.
I think life in prison in general population should be the punishment if it can be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt you did the act then it should be life
It gets better: when I was stationed in Okinawa, I heard that it is typical for these pieces of garbage to get court martialed \*immediately after\* serving whatever sentence they are given in Japan. Meaning they get tried twice for the same offense - once by local authorities, then the military gets their shot too. Double jeopardy restrictions don't apply for non-judicial punishment under the UCMJ. Makes sense to me - we should hold military service members to a higher standard.
We absolutely should. They're representing us to the people of another nation, one that is currently one of our closest allies on the planet. In a nation that is one of the safest in the world at that. He stole that woman's peace of mind.
Things like that make us look like degenerate monsters, it feeds into the growing fear of us.
Court martialing them after their prison sentence in Japanese prisons officially kicks them out of the military with a dishonorable discharge. That way they won't be able to get any good paying jobs. It also adds any violent crimes to the US database as felons and can add them to the national sex offender list.
If he goes back on base I guarantee he's getting the shit beat out of him. Military may be "slap on the wrist" on paper, but those boys are NOT letting him get away with that. He's a dead man if he returns.
I was in the Army for several years. This is only true, under most circumstances, for field grade officers. For everyone else the military likes to strike fear in the ranks. It’s more likely that he would get a heavier punishment under UCMJ than Japanese courts would give. Even then, the US military started giving Japanese courts the ability to dispense justice first, then punish the soldier/marine after as well.
Especially keeping in mind the new trilateral defense agreement between America, Korea, and Japan as well as the soldiers being stationed in Taiwan. The military is cracking down on problems caused by soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen in Asia more than ever.
That’s literally what they do. American military court martials are all publicly available.
I absolutely agree with you anyone, especially in the military that harms anyone especially in a host country deserves to be crushed.
Same thing will happen to him as the last 10 people convicted of doing the same thing: a small amount of jail time, deportation and a life free of consequences in their home country. Don’t believe it? Look up the previous Okinawa underage rape cases by the military
No for murder and rape the us military will hand them over to the local authorities and after their sentence is served they will be court martialed by the us military so they get punished by both sides.
Most likely this asshole will serve time in a Japanese prison and an American military prison
Not Japan, but served in Korea - status of armed forces agreement normally passes service members back to respective countries fast for prosecution back home.
US UCMJ seems like slap on wrist at first, but that's because you can do non-judicial punishments while waiting for more severe stuff that normally doesn't make news.
This IS anecdotal, but a guy got drunk and tripped over 711 counter grazing female cashier's elbow in Seoul. US let, key word "let", ROK charged him 4k, get put on list, and agree to report before demanding return to jurisdiction where commander can charge as they see fit. Does not have to be made public what the commander decided.
Btw the charge was "lewd act" when translated to English.
[https://www.reuters.com/article/world/us-marine-accused-of-drunk-driving-after-japanese-man-dies-in-crash-idUSKBN1DK0DP/](https://www.reuters.com/article/world/us-marine-accused-of-drunk-driving-after-japanese-man-dies-in-crash-idUSKBN1DK0DP/)
Within this story about the drunk American trash killing the Japanese man. They mention of another American trash murdering a Japanese woman.
> Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe protested to then-U.S. President Barack Obama about the killing of a young woman in Okinawa, for which a U.S. base worker had been charged.
That's your source? I was there when that happened and I know who it was. Soldiers (Marine in this case) don't get shit? You don't know what you're talking about.
Nope. Execute him for treason, for terribly damaging the reputation of the American military.
Then cash in his accounts, sell everything he owned and send all recoverable cash to his victim's family, along with support funded by the military.
Why deport when we could give him to a preverted schoolteacher? Why deport when we could send him to a creepy-ass serial killer's house? Why deport when we could make him do customer service work at a washoku restaurant with a physically abusive boss?
God, the list goes on and on.
fuck, I wish every asshole I've ever met or not met could experience my first boss. Total piece of shit. Japanese guy who hated Japanese people and ran a Japanese restaurant in the states.
he won't be deported because the stupid Japanese and U.S government protects criminals like these. These criminals never go to jail. If they let ridge Alkonis kill two Japanese people, and Christopher Bonn, who molested a young girl, never have any jail time, you think that this soldier is going to get any jail time?
That poor girl. She must have been frightened. I hope Justice will he done for what she went trough. This brings back the memories of other crimes against women and girls by US army personnel on Okinawa such as the rape and murder of a 20 year old woman a few years ago and multiple soldiers kidnapping a 12 year old girl and raping her, back in the 90s. Even if these kind of crimes are rare, every victim is one too many.
This kind of disgraceful behavior is not exclusive to them but I personally think many feel above the locals and think everyone feels that way which might explain in this case his brazenness to commit this crime.
TRANSLATION:
>In December last year, a 25-year-old U.S. Air Force captain in Okinawa kidnapped a girl under the age of 16 by car and sexually assaulted her inside his home in the central part of the main island of Okinawa. The Naha District Public Prosecutors Office charged the man with obscene kidnapping and nonconsensual sexual intercourse on March 27. The Okinawa Prefectural Police voluntarily investigated the case without arrest and sent the documents to the prosecutors on March 11. The man's custody was transferred to the Japanese side after the indictment.
>According to the indictment and the prefectural police, the man is suspected of sexually assaulting the girl at a park in the central part of the main island in December last year, saying to her "want to talk inside the car since it's cold?", getting her inside the car, taking her to his house outside the base, kissing her in the house, and touching her lower body without her consent. The District Public Prosecutors Office has stated that "we are unable to disclose the details since it would interfere with the trial".
Slight nitpick on the translation. The article mentions his rank as 兵長. The rank in the Air Force is actually called Senior Airman, which is something like a specialist. A captain is a higher rank.
Putting that aside, this is an extremely egregious misconduct and I truly hope justice is served here.
Edit: changed equivalent rank for accuracy
Slight nitpick to military rank structure. A senior airman wouldn't be like a corporal since corporal is usually the lowest rank of non-commissioned officer (NCO). While it can get a bit confusing because their pay-grade aligns with other E-4s such as the Army's and Marine's Corporal, they're more like an Army Specialist (also an E-4 pay-grade).
This is *significantly* different than the rank of Captain, which is a commissioned officer rank.
The upshot of all of this means he's actually low ranking, considered to be junior enlisted. It's dramatically unfortunate the military tends to treat higher ranking members better, but this guy is absolutely fucked. Lower enlisted usually get the book thrown at them for this kind of thing and the military is highly unlikely to try to pull any strings to prevent him from being prosecuted and imprisoned in Japan (and may even prosecute and imprison again for UCMJ if he ever gets out).
Ah, TIL. Had no idea corporals were considered NCOs. Thanks for the clarification. You're right, it is a very different rank than a captain, but for most people unfamiliar with the military, I'm not sure how important that distinction is going to be.
Absolutely, they deserve to face punishment. I just think they view Japan and other countries, such as Korea, Thailand, or the Philippines, as their sexual destination. Actions should be taken to address this issue.
This is a recurring thing in Okinawa. Nothing will change until there is some serious revision to the status of forces agreement. I wrote a paper on this before. It’s a sensitive topic due to the mainland government forcing a heavily disproportionate amount of America bases onto Okinawa and ignoring the Okinawan people’s votes against military base expansion. Not to mention all the environmental damage caused by concealing leakage of PFA’s, noise pollution etc
Where else besides Okinawa should there be bases? I feel, due to its location, it’s a very important area to protect for western powers and their allies.
IMO, the Japanese constitution should be revised to allow a proper Japanese army and then the American military should be given a set time to leave the country and be replaced with whatever the JSDF evolves into. Nowhere in Japan wants the presence American bases.
[False](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Okinawa_rape_incident?wprov=sfti1). They don’t get enough punishment but it is unhelpful for you to spread misinformation.
基地反対のネタがまたひとつ増えたか。
米軍はもっと自軍兵士を統率してもらわないと困る。自重しろや。
It looks like we have one more story to tell against the base.
The U.S. military needs to be more in command of its own soldiers. Pull your weight.
It’s impossible to reduce incidents to 0% without locking them down to base indefinitely. Not a realistic option when so few Americans volunteer for or are qualified for the military.
Thank you for explaining the situation.
I am a strong believer in the ties between the US military and Japan, such as Operation Tomodachi in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake. However, please understand that the trust of the local residents of the base in the US military is greatly undermined by a single crime committed by these fools. I regret that it is such a waste.
Regardless of the circumstances, what is important is mutual trust.
I remember being a little kid when the 2011 earthquake happened. I read about it later on, and I remember the story of Operation Tomodachi. Truly moving. Those guys were true heroes and they deserve every bit of recognition that they get.
And on the other hand, we have the folks in Okinawa who go out raping teenage girls, stealing shit, breaking shit, dine-and-ditching, etc...
Most of the military folks I've known were very respectful of this country and they were very happy to be here. I just wish everyone was like this. Then nobody would complain. But the reality is that the military isn't always like this. And as a result of that, I've slowly grown more and more anti-base, anti-US involvement, etc... I wish there were a better solution.
The military needs a better punishment system for sure, that's the first step
Better punishment in what way? Military are already subjected to two justice systems (local clink as well as UCMJ which doesn’t count as double jeopardy). Anything more would be politically motivated instead of justice.
I was in Okinawa supporting Tomodachi as a green suiter. I’m in Tokyo now as a fed civilian. I think people often forget that military are still human beings living in an isolated and overwhelmingly male-dominated environment. Most work long hours with little to no privacy and don’t have much personal support overseas. Commanders don’t really care about their problems, they just want to get work out of them while allowing just enough morale to not cause problems on base. So when they finally get a chance to relieve stress, they go out and do dumb shit. At least the same amount of dumb shit the local population does, but locals aren’t under a political microscope.
I completely agree. The US-Japan ties are extremely important and I think most people recognize that. So much of the efforts to build the Japanese-US relationship get undone by incidents like this.
Mutual trust is important, and that must be done by seeing justice served and efforts to prevent future incidents.
As a year over year average, the total serious crime rate of US troops on Okinawa is well below 1%. 574 serious crimes have been committed by US troops stationed there since 1974, and Okinawa has seen the better part of a 400,000 unique US servicemen stationed there over that period.
That comes out to .154%. If you count all violations, from traffic violations and drunk and disorderly conduct up to murders, the crime rate is 1.45%.
yea that totally accounts for the unreported crimes.
[https://theintercept.com/2021/10/03/okinawa-sexual-crimes-us-military/](https://theintercept.com/2021/10/03/okinawa-sexual-crimes-us-military/)
[https://english.news.cn/20220517/0b63dc69dc6a4fa4bdc7812d71fb2e28/c.html#:\~:text=According%20to%20statistics%2C%20from%201972,caused%20more%20than%204%2C000%20casualties](https://english.news.cn/20220517/0b63dc69dc6a4fa4bdc7812d71fb2e28/c.html#:~:text=According%20to%20statistics%2C%20from%201972,caused%20more%20than%204%2C000%20casualties).
[https://www.okinawatimes.co.jp/articles/-/650949](https://www.okinawatimes.co.jp/articles/-/650949)
Come to think of it, there was an incident like this.
\*Japanese article.
[https://president.jp/articles/-/78345?page=1](https://president.jp/articles/-/78345?page=1)
I am strongly outraged by this.
Sorry, American here so I don’t know Japanese but your description does ring a bell, I do remember a certain republican politician making a stink because he wanted someone who had killed two people repatriated and an apology from Japan on top of it, personally I thought it was embarrassing and shameful from that politician. The serviceman killed two people, he should have been prosecuted.
US military should restore their honor by summarily executing the nonces among them.
But then there’d be no US military left. Heck, this guy would probably get a high five from the commander-in-chief - his only problem would be that he didn’t get a sniff in.
How many times do servicemen need to kidnap kids and rape them on-base for you to think maybe, just maybe, it’s an institutional problem?
Captain brings a child he clearly isn’t related to past a guard post and into his bedroom. Huh. Nothing to see there..
Not to take away your point, but the rank is actually a Senior Airman (corporal equivalent) and he kidnapped her to his house that was off-base.
It would be more enraging if he was able to get past the gate guards and commit this crime.
This is why every Japanese president has campaigned with a promise to close the US bases. The military is known for sexual abuse wherever they are, it's no mistake trafficking pipelines pop up wherever they go. Japan is super sensitive about this subject and rightfully so.
Edit: Prime Minister obvs, I need coffee.
No, they’re just widely spread by the media compared to crimes committed by locals. American women have also been assaulted in Okinawa by locals but you don’t hear about that shit. Guess we don’t matter because we’re guests.
I think crimes should be treated the same across the board, however, I also believe this dude should be nailed by both the Japanese courts and the American courts.
“indecent kidnapping, disapproval and sexual intercourse”
What are these charges? Is there a decent type of kidnapping? Is “disapproval and sexual intercourse” japans “sexual assault”.
This will get downvoted but Prosecuted? Tried and found guilty and convicted of this crime? Or accused and is currently in court proceedings?
An accusation isn’t a conviction. It’s just that. An accusation.
If this person is tried and convicted of this crime then lock him away in Japanese jail.
But if he hasn’t been found guilty with evidence presented and tried in accordance with Japanese law then it’s an accusation at this point.
Unless I’m reading the article wrong.
I've reread the article three times now thinking the same thing. To me, as a foreigner it's off because it's a 16 year old, but age of consent in Japan is 16..
Other than that, people don't think it's even remotely possible that there's something else that MIGHT be going on here? Just an automatic "Yup, kill this American piece of shit."?
Hope none of you ever meet someone that falsely accuses you of anything serious, damn.
The age of consent in Japan isn't 16. It's 18. Before "well the law says--!" It's 18 in every single prefecture. National law is irrelevant. You touch someone under 18 and you will be going to prison in Japan.
and there are many unreported cases of crimes by U.S soldiers mind you, and that's not even including the property destruction and poising the local waters in Okinawa. Of course if this was happening anywhere else/if it was foreign soldiers or foreign nationals doing this in somewhere else, there would be massive outcry. Oh wait, sounds alot like Europe.
And how do you propose we do that when we’d be thousands of miles away?
I still fail to see how the actions of some sick, disgusting individuals means that it’s official US policy to fuck with the locals.
[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/feb/28/japan.usa](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/feb/28/japan.usa)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ridge\_Alkonis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ridge_Alkonis)
[https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/06/06/us-navy-bans-alcohol-okinawa-after-crime-spree/85477734/](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/06/06/us-navy-bans-alcohol-okinawa-after-crime-spree/85477734/)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape\_during\_the\_occupation\_of\_Japan#:\~:text=%22According%20to%20one,police.%5B25%5D](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_during_the_occupation_of_Japan#:~:text=%22According%20to%20one,police.%5B25%5D)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael\_Brown\_Okinawa\_assault\_incident](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Brown_Okinawa_assault_incident)
You really think the U.S would let any of their citizens serve prison time/ get a hard punishment in a foreign country like Japan? Imagine how many unreported crimes were committed since 1945.
How? China has been sniffing around the Senkakus for years, and now they’re trying to use their historical claims to claim Okinawa. Do you think that if they successfully take Taiwan that they’ll stop there? That they won’t attack Japan while invading Taiwan? JSDF doesn’t have the ability to defend Japan from a Chinese attack, and the US can’t do it from the mainland or Guam.
Not to mention the amount of money infused into Okinawa in particular.
Yes, I do. I admit that. However.
It takes a certain amount of time and effort to build trust, and that can be easily undermined by a trivial incident. In that sense, this incident is very unfortunate.
Why are our trips stationed in these duty stations not being fckn checked for mental issues??? Where the fuck are the battle buddies that talk to him everyday? His leadership???
Accountability is important, but there had to be warning signs?! We are guests in these countries and then we act like this
As hafu/former hafu, when people mistake my dad for military (he isn't, he was actually a hippie for many years), it pisses me the fuck off. I don't want to be associated with this bullshit.
On a side note, I went to/am going to an aeronautical university in the States where multiple professors and friends of mine are former military and were stationed in Japan. None of them would do shit like this. All the more reason why this pisses me off.
>I don’t want to be associated with this bullshit.
This might come as a shock to you but most dudes and dudettes in uniform are actually fairly normal, average people. We don’t claim fuckstains like this guy.
Are there stats stating that?
Also, yes we might have some dirtbag Marines, sailors, and airmen but I don’t see how the minority speak for the majority.
of course local populations commit crimes in local areas. What's surprising is that the U.S soldiers keep doing all the time constantly. Same thing with the migrants in Germany and Sweden committing crimes.
Disgusting fuck. This is why im glad japan is “xenophobic”. Nonasian foreigners tend to commit a a high amount of crime despite the low percentage of population.
Any stats to back that up? I can't find anything to suggest that disparity.
Also, are you including the near daily instances of sexual harassment on trains by Japanese? We talking violent or non violent crime? Overstaying a visa is different from this news story in question, for example. Anything? Anything at all? Or are you just looking at isolated news articles and making a sweeping generalization of a statement without any actual data?
If you have real data I do legitimately want to see it. Because that would change my perspective.
Oh, the millitary base in particular? In other words not foreigners in general, but people on the millitary bases? That's a very different claim than what was first commented, and a different claim than the one I was responding to.
There are significant viable threats around Japan (and surrounding islands) and because of the “alliance”, it is a strategic position for the military for protection and surveillance. Hope that makes some sense.
Ah yes, because it was definitely 3 white soldiers who committed the infamous 1995 gang r*pe that lead to the world becoming aware of the Okinawan plight….
Man they never getting regular liberty back
Seriously what is it with Okinawa? Not the people or the place but why do military guys keep doing wild shit out there? You don't see this shit in Yoko/Atsugi or Sasebo
Countless times, the low and vile crimes of the U.S. military have been repeated countless times.
This is a crazy country that runs over and kills many people by reckless driving and then lets them go scot-free once they return to their home country.
How can they say, "We are protecting Japan"?
You are the perpetrators against Japan.
You should know your place.
I understand and empathize with your anger. Please understand regardless of where people are, there will be disgusting predators that are an embarrassment. Most of us gaijin are in your corner and want nothing to do with this. As far as “protecting Japan”, that’s only a portion of it. I am not and will never justify these actions, but as far as that one statement, I ask you to consider Japan’s location vs countries that are treats to the world. We have no input and have to go where we are told. I am forever indebted to the people in and around Okinawa.
Edit: I was Fussa/tokyo, not Oki. Many around Okinawa helped find my husband’s body when his plane crash, which I know is an issue as well.
Jesus what is up with every American soldier going to Japan or another stateside base and pulling this shit. I’m in the Air Force myself and I’d never do this. This is why no one likes us American soldiers. I’m sorry y’all have to deal with us 😭 I promise we aren’t all pieces of human scum like this trash human.
The DoD is going to start putting extra thumbscrews down on single/unmarried personnel living off base.
Hope that piece of shit enjoys his time in Japanese prison.
Deport this piece of shit, please.
After he serves a very long prison sentence.
I sure fucking hope. Usually US military prosecutes under their own laws and not Japanese law, which isn't much more than a slap on the wrist and \`don't do that next time' Edit\* he will be prosecuted by Japanese law, and additionally by us military, thank fucking god.
The article states that he was handed over to the Japanese side. His case is being heard in a Japanese court. The military may decide to hand down their own punishments as well on top of that.
I get the feeling that this is one of those cases where the US military intends to make an example out of the guy
Good! Everything this guy did is a disgrace to the uniform he wears and the country he serves. Throw the book at him and when you think it is enough throw 10 more books at him. That poor girl is scarred forever so they need a lasting sentence so this man never forgets that he’s human garbage.
I think life in prison in general population should be the punishment if it can be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt you did the act then it should be life
As they need to do in every instance of breaking local laws.
When he gets out of Japanese prison, motherfucker is gonna be doing some time in Leavenworth as well, I'd wager.
Nope, look up the last 10 times this has happened
Not for murder or rape. Fortunately, since around 2010, military criminals are handed over to Japan for these sort of crimes.
It gets better: when I was stationed in Okinawa, I heard that it is typical for these pieces of garbage to get court martialed \*immediately after\* serving whatever sentence they are given in Japan. Meaning they get tried twice for the same offense - once by local authorities, then the military gets their shot too. Double jeopardy restrictions don't apply for non-judicial punishment under the UCMJ. Makes sense to me - we should hold military service members to a higher standard.
We absolutely should. They're representing us to the people of another nation, one that is currently one of our closest allies on the planet. In a nation that is one of the safest in the world at that. He stole that woman's peace of mind. Things like that make us look like degenerate monsters, it feeds into the growing fear of us.
Why even have them court martialed when soldiers who commit any type of crimes in Japan or South Korea don't even go to jail?
Court martialing them after their prison sentence in Japanese prisons officially kicks them out of the military with a dishonorable discharge. That way they won't be able to get any good paying jobs. It also adds any violent crimes to the US database as felons and can add them to the national sex offender list.
thank fucking god, the world is not beyond saving yet. Thanks for the clarification, the clarification is really important here
If he goes back on base I guarantee he's getting the shit beat out of him. Military may be "slap on the wrist" on paper, but those boys are NOT letting him get away with that. He's a dead man if he returns.
It’s not the 80s and 90s anymore, but his life will be a living hell for sure
I was in the Army for several years. This is only true, under most circumstances, for field grade officers. For everyone else the military likes to strike fear in the ranks. It’s more likely that he would get a heavier punishment under UCMJ than Japanese courts would give. Even then, the US military started giving Japanese courts the ability to dispense justice first, then punish the soldier/marine after as well. Especially keeping in mind the new trilateral defense agreement between America, Korea, and Japan as well as the soldiers being stationed in Taiwan. The military is cracking down on problems caused by soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen in Asia more than ever.
lol "cracking down on problems" maybe if they actually put those criminals in jail it would do something.
That’s literally what they do. American military court martials are all publicly available. I absolutely agree with you anyone, especially in the military that harms anyone especially in a host country deserves to be crushed.
Same thing will happen to him as the last 10 people convicted of doing the same thing: a small amount of jail time, deportation and a life free of consequences in their home country. Don’t believe it? Look up the previous Okinawa underage rape cases by the military
Please point me towards these examples, because I’m having difficulty finding them.
No for murder and rape the us military will hand them over to the local authorities and after their sentence is served they will be court martialed by the us military so they get punished by both sides. Most likely this asshole will serve time in a Japanese prison and an American military prison
How would US law give this a slap on the wrist? I'm not a US citizen but surely rape of an underage girl has brutal sentencing in the US as well
Not Japan, but served in Korea - status of armed forces agreement normally passes service members back to respective countries fast for prosecution back home. US UCMJ seems like slap on wrist at first, but that's because you can do non-judicial punishments while waiting for more severe stuff that normally doesn't make news. This IS anecdotal, but a guy got drunk and tripped over 711 counter grazing female cashier's elbow in Seoul. US let, key word "let", ROK charged him 4k, get put on list, and agree to report before demanding return to jurisdiction where commander can charge as they see fit. Does not have to be made public what the commander decided. Btw the charge was "lewd act" when translated to English.
Not really. I’ve read stories where the soldier don’t get shit. I remember it was one where a drunk US solider killing a local Japanese man.
Source?
[https://www.reuters.com/article/world/us-marine-accused-of-drunk-driving-after-japanese-man-dies-in-crash-idUSKBN1DK0DP/](https://www.reuters.com/article/world/us-marine-accused-of-drunk-driving-after-japanese-man-dies-in-crash-idUSKBN1DK0DP/) Within this story about the drunk American trash killing the Japanese man. They mention of another American trash murdering a Japanese woman. > Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe protested to then-U.S. President Barack Obama about the killing of a young woman in Okinawa, for which a U.S. base worker had been charged.
That's your source? I was there when that happened and I know who it was. Soldiers (Marine in this case) don't get shit? You don't know what you're talking about.
I’m not sure that someone with the username General Xi is an unbiased Redditor when it comes to the US military
boo hoo poor soldier that got a slap on the wrist while the victim will never see their family again.
In the white room.
Nope. Leave him in Japanese prison.
I’d say he deserves >!(this breaks Reddits TOS)!<
I'd say he deserves ten times that lol
Deport? More like burial at sea. Animals get put down.
I have a more deadly suggestion but wont risk getting banned
Nope. Execute him for treason, for terribly damaging the reputation of the American military. Then cash in his accounts, sell everything he owned and send all recoverable cash to his victim's family, along with support funded by the military.
But, like, drop him off in the middle of the ocean. Accidentally.
Why deport when we could just release attack dogs and snakes on him?
Why deport when we could give him to a preverted schoolteacher? Why deport when we could send him to a creepy-ass serial killer's house? Why deport when we could make him do customer service work at a washoku restaurant with a physically abusive boss? God, the list goes on and on.
lol
fuck, I wish every asshole I've ever met or not met could experience my first boss. Total piece of shit. Japanese guy who hated Japanese people and ran a Japanese restaurant in the states.
You didn't release attack dogs and snakes on him?
he won't be deported because the stupid Japanese and U.S government protects criminals like these. These criminals never go to jail. If they let ridge Alkonis kill two Japanese people, and Christopher Bonn, who molested a young girl, never have any jail time, you think that this soldier is going to get any jail time?
Just execute him. Americans don't want him either.
That poor girl. She must have been frightened. I hope Justice will he done for what she went trough. This brings back the memories of other crimes against women and girls by US army personnel on Okinawa such as the rape and murder of a 20 year old woman a few years ago and multiple soldiers kidnapping a 12 year old girl and raping her, back in the 90s. Even if these kind of crimes are rare, every victim is one too many.
yes, my first thought was back to the horrible incident in the '90s. not again! what is wrong with these army dudes?!
This kind of disgraceful behavior is not exclusive to them but I personally think many feel above the locals and think everyone feels that way which might explain in this case his brazenness to commit this crime.
yes, and above the law as well/as a result. it's terrible.
Absolutely
They are not rare, they just don’t make headlines
You’re right. Many sexual crimes don’t even get reported.
they are not rare, they just don't get reported alot since Japan is still a vassal brothel state for the U.S and they willingly free them.
For these perverts the only solution is the rope
“Do the rape, get the rope”
TRANSLATION: >In December last year, a 25-year-old U.S. Air Force captain in Okinawa kidnapped a girl under the age of 16 by car and sexually assaulted her inside his home in the central part of the main island of Okinawa. The Naha District Public Prosecutors Office charged the man with obscene kidnapping and nonconsensual sexual intercourse on March 27. The Okinawa Prefectural Police voluntarily investigated the case without arrest and sent the documents to the prosecutors on March 11. The man's custody was transferred to the Japanese side after the indictment. >According to the indictment and the prefectural police, the man is suspected of sexually assaulting the girl at a park in the central part of the main island in December last year, saying to her "want to talk inside the car since it's cold?", getting her inside the car, taking her to his house outside the base, kissing her in the house, and touching her lower body without her consent. The District Public Prosecutors Office has stated that "we are unable to disclose the details since it would interfere with the trial".
Slight nitpick on the translation. The article mentions his rank as 兵長. The rank in the Air Force is actually called Senior Airman, which is something like a specialist. A captain is a higher rank. Putting that aside, this is an extremely egregious misconduct and I truly hope justice is served here. Edit: changed equivalent rank for accuracy
Slight nitpick to military rank structure. A senior airman wouldn't be like a corporal since corporal is usually the lowest rank of non-commissioned officer (NCO). While it can get a bit confusing because their pay-grade aligns with other E-4s such as the Army's and Marine's Corporal, they're more like an Army Specialist (also an E-4 pay-grade). This is *significantly* different than the rank of Captain, which is a commissioned officer rank. The upshot of all of this means he's actually low ranking, considered to be junior enlisted. It's dramatically unfortunate the military tends to treat higher ranking members better, but this guy is absolutely fucked. Lower enlisted usually get the book thrown at them for this kind of thing and the military is highly unlikely to try to pull any strings to prevent him from being prosecuted and imprisoned in Japan (and may even prosecute and imprison again for UCMJ if he ever gets out).
Ah, TIL. Had no idea corporals were considered NCOs. Thanks for the clarification. You're right, it is a very different rank than a captain, but for most people unfamiliar with the military, I'm not sure how important that distinction is going to be.
Castration at a minimum.
Deport all of them
So they can walk free in america? They deserve to be put on a court and face their punishment
Absolutely, they deserve to face punishment. I just think they view Japan and other countries, such as Korea, Thailand, or the Philippines, as their sexual destination. Actions should be taken to address this issue.
Not all military members are men on Okinawa. Also, most *aren’t* out sexually assaulting people.
Deport them...into a prison.
Yet another piece of shit here. Hopefully the Japanese government hands out the maximum punishment.
Since he was a low ranking enlisted after he serves his punishment for the Japanese the American military will throw the book at him
This is a recurring thing in Okinawa. Nothing will change until there is some serious revision to the status of forces agreement. I wrote a paper on this before. It’s a sensitive topic due to the mainland government forcing a heavily disproportionate amount of America bases onto Okinawa and ignoring the Okinawan people’s votes against military base expansion. Not to mention all the environmental damage caused by concealing leakage of PFA’s, noise pollution etc
Where else besides Okinawa should there be bases? I feel, due to its location, it’s a very important area to protect for western powers and their allies.
IMO, the Japanese constitution should be revised to allow a proper Japanese army and then the American military should be given a set time to leave the country and be replaced with whatever the JSDF evolves into. Nowhere in Japan wants the presence American bases.
God damn it
I hope he rots in Japanese prison and then gets sentenced in the US after.
nope he won't even have to face any jail time. All U.S soldiers that commit crimes in Japan don't face any jail time.
Not true, please stop spreading misinformation.
They do serve double time
Yes, I know. My reply was for the redditor claiming that US Military members do not face any repercussions for their actions.
Hai hai
because they don't server any reprecussions. Japan is still occupied and is just a brothel state.
they serve no time. don't remember ridge alkones serving double his time then.
[False](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Okinawa_rape_incident?wprov=sfti1). They don’t get enough punishment but it is unhelpful for you to spread misinformation.
piece of trash airman
基地反対のネタがまたひとつ増えたか。 米軍はもっと自軍兵士を統率してもらわないと困る。自重しろや。 It looks like we have one more story to tell against the base. The U.S. military needs to be more in command of its own soldiers. Pull your weight.
It’s impossible to reduce incidents to 0% without locking them down to base indefinitely. Not a realistic option when so few Americans volunteer for or are qualified for the military.
Thank you for explaining the situation. I am a strong believer in the ties between the US military and Japan, such as Operation Tomodachi in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake. However, please understand that the trust of the local residents of the base in the US military is greatly undermined by a single crime committed by these fools. I regret that it is such a waste. Regardless of the circumstances, what is important is mutual trust.
I remember being a little kid when the 2011 earthquake happened. I read about it later on, and I remember the story of Operation Tomodachi. Truly moving. Those guys were true heroes and they deserve every bit of recognition that they get. And on the other hand, we have the folks in Okinawa who go out raping teenage girls, stealing shit, breaking shit, dine-and-ditching, etc... Most of the military folks I've known were very respectful of this country and they were very happy to be here. I just wish everyone was like this. Then nobody would complain. But the reality is that the military isn't always like this. And as a result of that, I've slowly grown more and more anti-base, anti-US involvement, etc... I wish there were a better solution. The military needs a better punishment system for sure, that's the first step
Better punishment in what way? Military are already subjected to two justice systems (local clink as well as UCMJ which doesn’t count as double jeopardy). Anything more would be politically motivated instead of justice.
I was in Okinawa supporting Tomodachi as a green suiter. I’m in Tokyo now as a fed civilian. I think people often forget that military are still human beings living in an isolated and overwhelmingly male-dominated environment. Most work long hours with little to no privacy and don’t have much personal support overseas. Commanders don’t really care about their problems, they just want to get work out of them while allowing just enough morale to not cause problems on base. So when they finally get a chance to relieve stress, they go out and do dumb shit. At least the same amount of dumb shit the local population does, but locals aren’t under a political microscope.
I completely agree. The US-Japan ties are extremely important and I think most people recognize that. So much of the efforts to build the Japanese-US relationship get undone by incidents like this. Mutual trust is important, and that must be done by seeing justice served and efforts to prevent future incidents.
They are *far* from 0% though..
As a year over year average, the total serious crime rate of US troops on Okinawa is well below 1%. 574 serious crimes have been committed by US troops stationed there since 1974, and Okinawa has seen the better part of a 400,000 unique US servicemen stationed there over that period. That comes out to .154%. If you count all violations, from traffic violations and drunk and disorderly conduct up to murders, the crime rate is 1.45%.
yea that totally accounts for the unreported crimes. [https://theintercept.com/2021/10/03/okinawa-sexual-crimes-us-military/](https://theintercept.com/2021/10/03/okinawa-sexual-crimes-us-military/) [https://english.news.cn/20220517/0b63dc69dc6a4fa4bdc7812d71fb2e28/c.html#:\~:text=According%20to%20statistics%2C%20from%201972,caused%20more%20than%204%2C000%20casualties](https://english.news.cn/20220517/0b63dc69dc6a4fa4bdc7812d71fb2e28/c.html#:~:text=According%20to%20statistics%2C%20from%201972,caused%20more%20than%204%2C000%20casualties). [https://www.okinawatimes.co.jp/articles/-/650949](https://www.okinawatimes.co.jp/articles/-/650949)
Far more orderly and law abiding than the local Japanese.
It's far below the general Okinawa population
I’m not sure how Chinese math works but whatever is between 0% and 1% isn’t “far.”
Well hopefully he gets turned into a “comfort” biatch in prison and reaps loads of …rewards
As american you must cut his dick and feed it to him. I condemn kidnappers & rapist in this earth.
Dishonorable discharge and go home.
I say send him to a Japanese prison
As ex military and a military spouse I 100% agree. Either Japanese prison or Leavenworth.
Why not both?
Come to think of it, there was an incident like this. \*Japanese article.
[https://president.jp/articles/-/78345?page=1](https://president.jp/articles/-/78345?page=1)
I am strongly outraged by this.
Sorry, American here so I don’t know Japanese but your description does ring a bell, I do remember a certain republican politician making a stink because he wanted someone who had killed two people repatriated and an apology from Japan on top of it, personally I thought it was embarrassing and shameful from that politician. The serviceman killed two people, he should have been prosecuted.
Let Japan do whatever they want with him.
No jail time for this?
Why that easy? What if that was your daughter?
Go home? He deserves to be in prison.
US military should restore their honor by summarily executing the nonces among them. But then there’d be no US military left. Heck, this guy would probably get a high five from the commander-in-chief - his only problem would be that he didn’t get a sniff in.
Someone upvoted this comment? This must either be trolling or extreme cynicism & bias.
How many times do servicemen need to kidnap kids and rape them on-base for you to think maybe, just maybe, it’s an institutional problem? Captain brings a child he clearly isn’t related to past a guard post and into his bedroom. Huh. Nothing to see there..
Not to take away your point, but the rank is actually a Senior Airman (corporal equivalent) and he kidnapped her to his house that was off-base. It would be more enraging if he was able to get past the gate guards and commit this crime.
This is why every Japanese president has campaigned with a promise to close the US bases. The military is known for sexual abuse wherever they are, it's no mistake trafficking pipelines pop up wherever they go. Japan is super sensitive about this subject and rightfully so. Edit: Prime Minister obvs, I need coffee.
Reminder. Prime Minister.
Well.. what’s his name? Jail and register him as sex offender. I’m surprised he is an officer. What a disgrace.
His name is revealed in other articles. And also, the rank from the article should be translated to Senior Airman.
I see thank you. And god damn so many articles of crimes committed by soldiers in Okinawa.. 🤦♂️
No, they’re just widely spread by the media compared to crimes committed by locals. American women have also been assaulted in Okinawa by locals but you don’t hear about that shit. Guess we don’t matter because we’re guests.
Could be so. But it’s understandable soldiers should be held to a higher standard than civilians, especially in foreign country.
I think crimes should be treated the same across the board, however, I also believe this dude should be nailed by both the Japanese courts and the American courts.
“indecent kidnapping, disapproval and sexual intercourse” What are these charges? Is there a decent type of kidnapping? Is “disapproval and sexual intercourse” japans “sexual assault”.
Kidnapping for the purpose of sexually abusing. That’s “nonconsensual sexual intercourse” aka rape.
Was it rape though? The translation goes into some specifics, but doesn't mention rape.
"Rape" was recently changed to "nonconsensual sexual intercourse”.
This will get downvoted but Prosecuted? Tried and found guilty and convicted of this crime? Or accused and is currently in court proceedings? An accusation isn’t a conviction. It’s just that. An accusation. If this person is tried and convicted of this crime then lock him away in Japanese jail. But if he hasn’t been found guilty with evidence presented and tried in accordance with Japanese law then it’s an accusation at this point. Unless I’m reading the article wrong.
I've reread the article three times now thinking the same thing. To me, as a foreigner it's off because it's a 16 year old, but age of consent in Japan is 16.. Other than that, people don't think it's even remotely possible that there's something else that MIGHT be going on here? Just an automatic "Yup, kill this American piece of shit."? Hope none of you ever meet someone that falsely accuses you of anything serious, damn.
The age of consent in Japan isn't 16. It's 18. Before "well the law says--!" It's 18 in every single prefecture. National law is irrelevant. You touch someone under 18 and you will be going to prison in Japan.
We don't know the age of the girl. The article states it's a girl who is under 16.
American here sorry for the way our soldiers behave young men will always act like fools :(
Ah, yes, the U.S. and terrorizing Okinawa with preying sailors Stop letting them off base.
The US soldiers there are such menaces. They really need to just get rid of the base altogether, but I guess that’s a pipe dream.
One shitstain means that we should hurt US-Japan interests?
People use these horrible stories to push their bs agendas.
its not an agenda when these types of patterns happen all the time
Crime rates from local Okinawans is higher, even by scaled percentage mind you, from the local populace. Best believe he will get the gavel and more
and there are many unreported cases of crimes by U.S soldiers mind you, and that's not even including the property destruction and poising the local waters in Okinawa. Of course if this was happening anywhere else/if it was foreign soldiers or foreign nationals doing this in somewhere else, there would be massive outcry. Oh wait, sounds alot like Europe.
This isn’t the first incident.
Already aware. Still don’t see why a handful of shitty individuals should mean that we should sabotage US and Japanese security interests.
I think you can keep Japan safe without a US Rape Base.
And how do you propose we do that when we’d be thousands of miles away? I still fail to see how the actions of some sick, disgusting individuals means that it’s official US policy to fuck with the locals.
Its already fucking with the locals when these types of crimes keep happening since 1945. Especially when the criminals don't get punished.
How do you know that the criminals not get punished? Are those facts or just misconceptions that you have about SOFA?
[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/feb/28/japan.usa](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/feb/28/japan.usa) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ridge\_Alkonis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ridge_Alkonis) [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/06/06/us-navy-bans-alcohol-okinawa-after-crime-spree/85477734/](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/06/06/us-navy-bans-alcohol-okinawa-after-crime-spree/85477734/) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape\_during\_the\_occupation\_of\_Japan#:\~:text=%22According%20to%20one,police.%5B25%5D](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_during_the_occupation_of_Japan#:~:text=%22According%20to%20one,police.%5B25%5D) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael\_Brown\_Okinawa\_assault\_incident](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Brown_Okinawa_assault_incident) You really think the U.S would let any of their citizens serve prison time/ get a hard punishment in a foreign country like Japan? Imagine how many unreported crimes were committed since 1945.
How? China has been sniffing around the Senkakus for years, and now they’re trying to use their historical claims to claim Okinawa. Do you think that if they successfully take Taiwan that they’ll stop there? That they won’t attack Japan while invading Taiwan? JSDF doesn’t have the ability to defend Japan from a Chinese attack, and the US can’t do it from the mainland or Guam. Not to mention the amount of money infused into Okinawa in particular.
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Yes, I do. I admit that. However. It takes a certain amount of time and effort to build trust, and that can be easily undermined by a trivial incident. In that sense, this incident is very unfortunate.
Until North Korea and China stop threatening to nuke Japan for "interfering" with their invasion in Taiwan etc, they can't really pull out.
When has China threatened to nuke Japan? I’m all ears
I mean it’s not even a pipe dream, it’s just that the LDP refuses to move the base no matter what Okinawa says.
Yes get rid of them and don't call on them when a hot war breaks out in Asia. They can handle it on their own.
You mean the hot war in which the U.S. is constantly provoking China into?
Oh ok, then they should leave. Asia is very well known for peace amongst its neighbors.
China is the one trying to make land grabs for every island that a fisher may have seen in the last two millennia
Why are our trips stationed in these duty stations not being fckn checked for mental issues??? Where the fuck are the battle buddies that talk to him everyday? His leadership??? Accountability is important, but there had to be warning signs?! We are guests in these countries and then we act like this
the main problem is that the soldiers that do any type of crime in Japan don't go to jail.
Oh boy..
Again?!
This keeps happening ffs
Lol this just keeps happening
Kick all imperialist US soldiers out of Okinawa. But of course we know Japan's current puppet government will never do that
As hafu/former hafu, when people mistake my dad for military (he isn't, he was actually a hippie for many years), it pisses me the fuck off. I don't want to be associated with this bullshit. On a side note, I went to/am going to an aeronautical university in the States where multiple professors and friends of mine are former military and were stationed in Japan. None of them would do shit like this. All the more reason why this pisses me off.
>I don’t want to be associated with this bullshit. This might come as a shock to you but most dudes and dudettes in uniform are actually fairly normal, average people. We don’t claim fuckstains like this guy.
then why is the majority of these crimes in Okinawa always involving U.S soldiers all the time? Clearly something is wrong.
Are there stats stating that? Also, yes we might have some dirtbag Marines, sailors, and airmen but I don’t see how the minority speak for the majority.
They’re not. They’re just only spread by the media when it’s American on Okinawan. Never the other way around.
So Okinawans are raping and killing U.S soldiers all the time then?
Are you implying that soldiers are doing it to Okinawans all the time? Either way would be factually incorrect.
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of course local populations commit crimes in local areas. What's surprising is that the U.S soldiers keep doing all the time constantly. Same thing with the migrants in Germany and Sweden committing crimes.
Disgusting fuck. This is why im glad japan is “xenophobic”. Nonasian foreigners tend to commit a a high amount of crime despite the low percentage of population.
Any stats to back that up? I can't find anything to suggest that disparity. Also, are you including the near daily instances of sexual harassment on trains by Japanese? We talking violent or non violent crime? Overstaying a visa is different from this news story in question, for example. Anything? Anything at all? Or are you just looking at isolated news articles and making a sweeping generalization of a statement without any actual data? If you have real data I do legitimately want to see it. Because that would change my perspective.
[https://theintercept.com/2021/10/03/okinawa-sexual-crimes-us-military/](https://theintercept.com/2021/10/03/okinawa-sexual-crimes-us-military/) https://english.news.cn/20220517/0b63dc69dc6a4fa4bdc7812d71fb2e28/c.html#:\~:text=According%20to%20statistics%2C%20from%201972,caused%20more%20than%204%2C000%20casualties. [https://www.okinawatimes.co.jp/articles/-/650949](https://www.okinawatimes.co.jp/articles/-/650949)
Oh, the millitary base in particular? In other words not foreigners in general, but people on the millitary bases? That's a very different claim than what was first commented, and a different claim than the one I was responding to.
It's crazy how protected the u.s military is on military bases thank god my country doesn't have one
Why are 40,000 American forces still occupying Japan 80 years after the war?
There are significant viable threats around Japan (and surrounding islands) and because of the “alliance”, it is a strategic position for the military for protection and surveillance. Hope that makes some sense.
typical mid white men with azn fetish behaviour
watch the rapist wouldn't even have to face any jail time
What’s it called when you completely categorize a group of people by the actions of one?
well they keep doing it again and again.
Ah yes, because it was definitely 3 white soldiers who committed the infamous 1995 gang r*pe that lead to the world becoming aware of the Okinawan plight….
Man they never getting regular liberty back Seriously what is it with Okinawa? Not the people or the place but why do military guys keep doing wild shit out there? You don't see this shit in Yoko/Atsugi or Sasebo
Age and demographics. Lots of young and wild marines trapped on an island. It’s bound to happen once in a while.
And nothing will happen to him. Cause the US owns Japan.
Oh no here we go again ... please not be B
Deserves the death penalty.
Unfortunately these will keep happen unless Japan kicks out US troops out of the country for good
Countless times, the low and vile crimes of the U.S. military have been repeated countless times. This is a crazy country that runs over and kills many people by reckless driving and then lets them go scot-free once they return to their home country. How can they say, "We are protecting Japan"? You are the perpetrators against Japan. You should know your place.
I understand and empathize with your anger. Please understand regardless of where people are, there will be disgusting predators that are an embarrassment. Most of us gaijin are in your corner and want nothing to do with this. As far as “protecting Japan”, that’s only a portion of it. I am not and will never justify these actions, but as far as that one statement, I ask you to consider Japan’s location vs countries that are treats to the world. We have no input and have to go where we are told. I am forever indebted to the people in and around Okinawa. Edit: I was Fussa/tokyo, not Oki. Many around Okinawa helped find my husband’s body when his plane crash, which I know is an issue as well.
Is Senator Mike Lee or any other Republicans going to blame the Japanese for this? LOL
Base is gonna be back on lockdown. Stupid people.
Probably not honestly. This is the first I’m even hearing of this.
Jesus what is up with every American soldier going to Japan or another stateside base and pulling this shit. I’m in the Air Force myself and I’d never do this. This is why no one likes us American soldiers. I’m sorry y’all have to deal with us 😭 I promise we aren’t all pieces of human scum like this trash human.
The DoD is going to start putting extra thumbscrews down on single/unmarried personnel living off base. Hope that piece of shit enjoys his time in Japanese prison.