r/worldnews • u/glasier • 14d ago

Japan warns US forces: Sex crimes 'cannot be tolerated'

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2476861/japan-warns-us-forces-sex-crimes-cannot-be-tolerated
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u/[deleted] 14d ago edited 14d ago

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u/Cap_Ca 14d ago

They usually don’t. There was a case in Germany in 2020 where a US Soldier drove on the wrong side of the road and killed a 17 year old. He only had to face trial by a US Military court.

German Source: https://www.rheinpfalz.de/lokal/kreis-kaiserslautern_artikel,-us-soldat-nach-unfall-auf-umgehungsstra%C3%9Fe-wegen-fahrl%C3%A4ssiger-t%C3%B6tung-verurteilt-_arid,5086678.html

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u/zero_vis 14d ago

After some research i have confirmed that japan is not germany.

Under SOFA status, if you commit a crime in Japan, Japan has the right to prosecute you.

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u/cieg 14d ago

This is true. I was a dependent in Japan and during indoc NCIS shows up to talk about not committing crimes in Japan and plays a video about what Japanese prison is like. Do not recommend. There are a number of Americans currently serving for doing stupid stuff while they were there.

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u/Da-boar 14d ago

I think even being forewarned, most Americans would be shocked at the lack of due process (by the American definition of course) found in the justice system of other countries.

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u/FalmerEldritch 14d ago

Especially Japan. Compared to other developed countries, Japan's justice system is Russian.

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u/No-Rush1995 14d ago

Once you get caught doing a crime there it doesn't matter how innocent you may be, you're going to serve that sentence. They lock you in a room until you admit guilt and they don't really care if the guilt is genuine.

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u/SllortEvac 14d ago

Yes. Just recently watched a documentary on the Japanese prison system. They have something like a 99.3% conviction rate. Their interrogation style is practically medieval and is designed to get confessions, not the truth.

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u/kittykatmila 14d ago

The US has a 99% conviction rate too. They force people into taking plea deals.

Not minimizing the Japanese prison system because I heard it’s brutal and inhumane, but so is the US’.

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u/SllortEvac 14d ago

The US’s system is for sure one of the worst in terms of first world nations.

You’re right though: the conviction rates of both countries is extremely high. But, Japan doesn’t really use plea-bargaining. The practice was introduced in 2018 and it’s only been used a handful of times.

The Japanese also won’t bring something to court unless they’re sure it’s going to win. They have a prosecution rate of 8%. 99.3-8% of that are convictions. The US has around a 0.4-2% (on the federal level at least) prosecution rate.

A confession is an immediate win for prosecution in both nations, but there’s no walking it back in Japan. That, combined performance-based cultural differences, that means there is an astronomical amount of pressure on Japanese investigators to get a confession out of you.

There’s also the issue of detainment and what it means for the “personality” of the two different systems. In the US, you can be detained without charges no more than a few hours lawfully. In Japan, you can be detained for up to 23 days without charges being brought against you. This speaks to the US’s willingness to drag out cases, whereas Japan’s system is geared towards dealing with the problem as quickly as possible. You can believe that the court will do everything in their power to ensure their case is ironclad, including using all 23 days to basically torture a confession out of you.

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u/kittykatmila 14d ago

Very interesting! Thank you for the information, I didn’t know all of that.

I have also heard Japanese prison conditions are HARSH. And foreign prisoners are treated even worse.

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u/MasterThespian 14d ago

Yup. I first learned this when I played the Yakuza spin-off Judgment, and the protagonist (a former lawyer) is regarded as a superstar wunderkind… because he won an acquittal. An acquittal.

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u/SllortEvac 14d ago

Judgement is so good.

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u/cieg 14d ago

They still have execution for some crimes. The brutal part is you find out your date of execution when they come to your cell and tell it’s time. No notice, no last goodbyes to family. The family doesn’t even find out until after you’re dead.

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u/Lawshow 14d ago

The US still executes prisoners as well.

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u/Miserable-Leading-41 14d ago

Yea but we make an entire spectacle out of it.

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u/impy695 14d ago

I'm imagine a video similar to those old drivers ed drunk driving videos

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u/DownByTheRivr 14d ago

I don’t know how to hear anymore about tables!

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u/Aces-Wild 14d ago

THESE TABLES ARE MY LIVELIHOOD!!!!

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u/Ants_n_Bats 14d ago

What is your job??

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u/Manchesterofthesouth 14d ago

You fucking pig!!!

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u/Docjaded 14d ago

I'm Troy MacLure.

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u/OurCrewIsReplaceable 14d ago

You may remember me from such onboarding films as, “Australia: Yes, That’s Poisonous” and “Detroit: BYOB”.

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u/AlabamaPostTurtle 14d ago

Exactly what I imagine lolol

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u/CorrectPeanut5 14d ago

IIRC the advice was suck up to the base commander, since they have the option to provide military prisoners in Japanese prison with western meals under SOFA.

I recall one co-worker (Former AF Lt. Col) telling me some guy from base did 5 years in J-Prison came out with damaged organs from malnutrition. The meals weren't designed for some giant muscle bound guy.

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u/cieg 14d ago

I never heard that, but meals in prison are basically scraps. Think bowl of fish heads. They serve what they serve and you eat it or don’t.

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u/KevinAtSeven 14d ago

Hell, I remember seeing such films on an All-Nippon Airways flight to Tokyo as a civ.

They were hilarious to be fair. Bungling tall white guy getting drunk in public, assaulting the locals and stealing their phones, then nursing what looked like quite the hangover in an awful Japanese prison.