【By Observer Net, Qi Qian】

Recently, Japanese media exposed a U.S. soldier stationed in Japan who is suspected of threatening a minor female in Okinawa. The soldier has been transferred to the prosecution.

According to the local Okinawan media "Ryukyu Shimpo", on November 21st, Japanese Defense Minister Koizumi Shinjiro refused to comment at a press conference after the cabinet meeting, citing that the case is under investigation.

He said, "As the Defense Minister, I must avoid making comments."

Koizumi Shinjiro stated that efforts from the U.S. side are needed to prevent incidents or accidents caused by U.S. military personnel, and he said, "We will seize every opportunity to strongly request the U.S. to strengthen education for soldiers and strictly enforce military discipline to completely prevent similar incidents from happening again."

This October, Koizumi received the U.S. "War Secretary" Hegseth. Japanese media

According to Japanese media reports, on the 19th, the Okinawa Prefectural Police Agency announced that a U.S. soldier stationed in Okinawa had been transferred to the local prosecutor's office.

The report said that in June this year, an American soldier was suspected of indecently exposing himself to a local girl walking by on Okinawa Island. After the girl cried out, the soldier fled the scene before the police arrived. The police confirmed the identity of the soldier based on surveillance information from the area.

The soldier was then detained by the U.S. military within the base, and the local police conducted multiple interrogations of him.

After the incident was exposed, Okinawa Governor Tomiichi Nakamura strongly condemned the incident on the 19th, saying, "This heinous crime of disregarding women's human rights and dignity is absolutely unacceptable. In addition, such behavior against minors should not be tolerated either." He also publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the Japanese government and the U.S. military.

In recent years, there have been multiple reports of U.S. military personnel in Okinawa committing sexual assault and indecent acts.

However, according to previous reports by Japanese media, the Japanese police agency stated last year that cases involving sexual violence by U.S. military personnel and their dependents have spread throughout Japan. Data shows that since 1989 up to May last year, a total of 166 related sexual crimes were solved in Japan.

Local residents in Okinawa protest outside the U.S. military base. Kyodo News

It is worth noting that when the Japanese police agency released the above data, several Japanese media outlets including Kyodo News reported in early July that multiple cases of sexual assault by U.S. military personnel were not disclosed to the media, nor were they reported to the local government. This news immediately caused a big uproar in Japan.

According to Kyodo News, according to the notification procedure agreed upon between the U.S. and Japanese governments in 1997, when the U.S. military commander becomes aware of a case involving U.S. military personnel in Japan, he needs to contact the local defense bureau. However, it has been proven that the U.S. military and the Japanese government violated this agreement and did not report a series of sexual assault cases to the local government. Kyodo News stated that this "highlighted that the system has no real effect."

Additionally, according to the "Status of Forces Agreement" signed by the U.S. and Japanese governments in 1960, if a U.S. soldier is suspected of committing a crime in Japan, the U.S. has priority jurisdiction. Cases caused by the U.S. military in Japan often end without resolution.

This article is an exclusive article from Observer Net. Without permission, it cannot be reprinted.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7575748328554496527/

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