US, JAPAN LAUNCH JOINT PATROLS FOLLOWING US TROOP SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES

Sat 19 April 2025:

For the first time since 1974, US military personnel and Japanese police jointly patrolled southern Okinawa on Friday, following recent sexual assault cases involving US troops. The patrols, initiated by the US to curb such incidents, focused on high-traffic areas of the city, as reported by Kyodo news.

Okinawa hosts 31 US-exclusive military facilities, accounting for 70.3% of such sites in Japan in terms of land area. The island is home to roughly half of the 50,000 US troops deployed in the country under a security pact.

There have been numerous sexual assault cases involving US servicemembers in Japan, prompting public outrage and renewed calls for stricter oversight.

Hundreds of residents held demonstrations in Okinawa in December to demand an apology from the US military after a servicemember was implicated in a sexual assault case.

There were 118 criminal cases involving US military personnel in Japan in 2023, according to official figures. Seventy-two of those cases, accounting for 61%, reportedly occurred in Okinawa.

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Sexual assault cases involving US troops have been a persistent issue globally, often straining relations with host countries.

In 2023, the Pentagon reported 7,266 sexual assault cases in the US military, a slight decrease from 7,378 in 2022, with an estimated 29,061 service members experiencing unwanted sexual contact.

Cases are underreported due to fear of retaliation, with only 20% of estimated assaults reported in recent years. High-profile incidents, like those in Okinawa, Japan, where US servicemen were charged with assaults in 2024, have sparked local outrage and calls for stricter discipline. Globally, such cases challenge US military alliances, as seen in Japan’s protests over delayed reporting.

The military has implemented reforms, like removing cases from the chain of command in 2023, but critics argue cultural issues and low conviction rates—only 108 convictions from 5,805 unrestricted reports in 2018—persist.

These incidents impact troop readiness and international trust, with ongoing efforts to improve prevention and accountability.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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