Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa showed “deep pain” over five sexual crimes cases involving US forces.
JAPAN: Japan claimed on Thursday that cases of sexual crimes in the country involving US forces “cannot be tolerated,” urging Washington to stop such happening in the future.
Claiming “deep pain” over the existence of five cases of sexual crimes by American forces, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa claimed, “The occurrence of these incidents is such that I feel this cannot be tolerated.”
Kamikawa was communicating inquiries by reporters on developing cases of sexual assault by American soldiers.
Around 50,000 US soldiers are employed in Japan under a bilateral safety pact, mostly half of them in Okinawa.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed on Wednesday that five cases of sexual abuse by US forces were obtained the previous year in Japan, most of them in Okinawa.
“The accidents have caused a major deal of depression in the local community,” claimed Kamikawa.
“It is something that should not happen…These incidents are extremely regrettable, and when I think about the victims…I am deeply pained as a foreign minister,” she expressed, concerned about her position in the Taskforce on Women, Peace and Security.
“I am promoting the ideals and concepts (that) include the protection of human rights and dignity of women,” she claimed, as per a video of her news conference placed in Tokyo.
The happening of sexual assault “is the central challenge,” she counted further.
Kamikawa expressed “Preventing sexual violence by military personnel…and the pursuit of responsibilities and punishment is what we emphasize.”
“Based on these ideals, we have been promoting approaches,” she expressed.
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Requirements for complete communication with the provincial government.
Kamikawa expressed, “The Foreign Ministry will be working with the US side regarding specific measures and will also ask them to be thorough about preventing incidents.”
The Pentagon claimed, “It regrets that sex crimes have been committed by American soldiers on Japanese soil and said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was closely monitoring developments.”
On points voiced by authorities in Okinawa, Kamikawa asked Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki to raise a protest over the sex assault issue and required thorough addressing in connection with such accidents.
Authorities in Okinawa the previous week objected to the deficiency of communication concerning sex crimes by US soldiers.
Tamaki also required discipline from the US side and the insisting on a collaborative working group to avoid such incidents, said Kamikawa.
“I recognize the importance of cooperation (and) collaboration” with Okinawa, she said.
She asked her ministry to be part of a joint strategy with other ministries to confront the matter.
“It is the local government that is faced with the anxiety of the residents and having to deal with the crime counter-measures,” she claimed.
The previous week, prosecutors charged US Marine Jamel Clayton for accomplishing rape and injuring a woman.
Clayton was arrested in May and charged by the Naha district prosecutor’s office on June 17.
Prosecutors the previous week also charged Senior US Airman Brennon Washington for the alleged sexual crime and kidnapping of a minor the previous December.
Published in The Tribune News
