Crime & Courts

U.S. Forces in Japan to Strengthen Measures to Prevent Sex Crimes; More Patrols to be Conducted Around U.S. Bases

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:53 JST, July 13, 2024

The U.S. forces will strengthen measures to prevent a recurrence of sexual assaults by U.S. military personnel serving in Japan in response to a series of recent incidents in Okinawa Prefecture.

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel and Lt. Gen. Roger Turner, the Okinawa area coordinator and head of U.S. forces in the prefecture, issued a joint statement Friday to announce the reinforcing of relevant measures.

The statement expressed deep regret over the recent alleged cases, saying, “It’s clear that our current protections and procedures are not meeting the standards we set for ourselves.”

As part of new measures to be taken, there will be more patrols in districts outside U.S. bases to strengthen surveillance.

Regarding the liberty policy that regulates off-base activities of U.S. military members serving in Japan and requires them to attend sexual violence prevention sessions, the statement said the system has been revised to have a superior officer directly instruct each servicemember.