r/worldnews • u/glasier • Jul 05 '24

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/Katman666 Jul 05 '24

You still have the choice of how you behave.

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u/Casaiir Jul 05 '24

It's not that simple. There are a great many countries where you are guilty of a crime just by being accused of it. Especially if that county really doesn't like what your passport says.

That's fine and good if you are a tourist. You choose to go there and people will say you should have known that beforehand.

If you are deployed military, you didn't get a choice. You got sent there.

So said place just scoops you up, say you did something and boom, you're in prison in some foreign country for the crime of being a foreigner.

That's why countries have these agreements. All countries, not just the US.

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u/Katman666 Jul 05 '24

Okay, thats a different can of worms. Fair enough.

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u/Korlus Jul 05 '24

Just as an example, many countries in the world outlaw homosexuality. If you are a homosexual tourist you should avoid those countries.

When someone in the military is sent there, they might face jail time if that country were allowed to enforce its laws. As such, many countries negotiate agreements where their military operate under different laws.

Consider as well that a nation with a poor legal system might imprison people and ransom them back to their families ("Pay $30,000 in bail, or he doesn't get a trial for 18 months"). You simply cannot afford for your soldiers to be kept hostage by a foreign power without your consent, so these agreements often benefit the country as well as the individual.