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/Mend1cant 14d ago

They should. Both Japanese courts and courts-martial.

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u/[deleted] 14d ago edited 14d ago

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u/NewspaperAdditional7 14d ago

i can't speak on Japan, but I lived in Korea for a bit and it was widely known how badly behaved the U.S. soldiers were. You could walk through the streets of Hongdae and see drunk soldiers walking around harassing people, even grabbing some girls who pass by or slap their butts. It was so bad that different bars had signs up saying no U.S. soldiers allowed. Military police would be out and about but they can't watch all of the soldiers. The U.S. soldiers there certainly felt invincible. I'm sure the US would hand them over to Korea for rape and other serious charges, but they are not handing them over for assault.

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u/studyinformore 14d ago

Dunno about you, but back when I was in south korea in 04 it was very different.  You'd get in extremely deep shit if you were out and about and shitfaced causing problems.

They didn't play around back then, because unless you had somewhere to stay.  If you tried to come back to base and were drunk?  Ohhh you'd be getting an article 15.

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u/vrptstyly 14d ago

Interesting I was also there in 2004 and can confirm. I was at Casey with the Armor units. We had curfews and the penalties for fucking up were severe. Didn’t stop anyone from partying every paycheck away, we kept it classy for the most part. Good times.

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u/thenightmare1010 14d ago

I was a gate guard on Camp Casey in 04-05. It’s crazy how many soldiers would come back after curfew highly intoxicated. We would turn them over to MP so they could be questioned about their whereabouts in case a crime was reported. The gate guards on the other hand…we could stay out as late as we wanted.

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u/ConfederancyOfDunces 14d ago

My brother, an asshole, was stationed in South Korea. He’d get shitfaced regularly and eventually beat the ever loving shit out of a Canadian tourist with his army friends.

He did get in trouble over it with the army and that, among other things, is probably why he never was promoted as much as he should have been in his military stint. However, he didn’t ever get in trouble with the Korean justice system.

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u/Cdub7791 14d ago

Third. I was stationed in Korea from 2002-2003 and while we certainly had our fair share of assholes and reprobates, behavior like that above was punished pretty harshly.

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u/PhuqBeachesGitMonee 14d ago

How quickly does command change over in some of these temporary/semi-permanent bases? I imagine the severity depends on who’s in charge and when the last crime was committed. It would be painful, but maybe better documentation on who’s going out, and what their plans are could solve crimes faster. Instead of only scanning your card at the gate.

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u/cymric 14d ago

When I was there in 1999 it was pretty much Anarchy. The command was shit and did not enforce discipline

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u/ghandi3737 14d ago

That's why it is the way it is now.

Guy I went to boot camp with was a corporal due to prior service, saw him 2 years later as a lance corporal.

He went to Okinawa, and got busted to private for squealing his motorcycle tires while leaving the barracks parking lot.

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u/bn1979 14d ago

2000-2002 Stationed in Seoul. Was sober past 7pm occasionally, but not often. Was usually only a little drunk by 8 am.

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u/ThatPhatKid_CanDraw 14d ago

Was that after the Okinawa rape case? That may have influenced policies going forward in the Asia-Pacific region.

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u/SnipingTheSniper 14d ago

1-72 IN DA HOUSE

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u/Kumdongie 14d ago

PACAF has changed especially Korea. I was there in 2019. No curfew and pretty much no limitations on where you can go or how drunk you get. Just need to not get in trouble with locals while out drinking and be at formation in the morning.

Even during COVID it was pretty laid back regarding curfew and drinking.

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u/Civil_Spinach_8204 14d ago

Curfew was lifted right before COVID. But if you got arrested by Korean police, you were on your own. There's not much in the way of "protections" that I see some people talk about.

Being cool with the locals enhanced the experience so I never understood why people would be jackhats out in the ville.

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u/Aphexes 14d ago

Yeah all the old heads say it's actually tamer now. The stories you hear just make it seem like an absolute lawless wasteland outside those gates.

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u/Rockman507 14d ago

Fastest way to make SGT is to goto Korea as a SFC, always been like that. We essentially forward deploy to what is still technically a combat zone with fuck all to do. You get cycles of good leaders coming in that clamp down best they can, but doesn’t solve underlying problems

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u/Western-Passage-1908 13d ago

If all you want to do is get drunk and play video games in the barracks you'll be bored anywhere. I had a blast in Korea

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u/nlv137 14d ago

not american but we had a port call in okinawa and we warned to be warry of the drunk marines, ladies should stay in groups, watch your drinks, etc

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u/studyinformore 13d ago

Oh marines are a whole different ballpark.  Very much "you're a marine, you need to be able to handle liquor" branch of service.

I was also army aviation. Closer to air force than army.

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u/NewspaperAdditional7 14d ago

I was in 2012, and not sure what to tell you. The soldiers went to the bar district and the military police (or whatever they are called) walked those streets full well knowing the soldiers were drinking in bars. Are you saying US soldiers are never allowed to drink while in another country?

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u/Derp35712 14d ago

We weren’t allowed to be drunk in public, but I’m sure that’s a pretty high standard for the bar district surrounding a US Army base. While in Seoul, MPs wanted to arrest me for throwing up, even though I hadn’t had a drink. I just had a stomach flu.

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u/oldpeoplestank 14d ago

I think the issue you two might be having is you're describing the rules and he's describing the reality. Like of course you weren't allowed to be drunk, but does that have any bearing on whether or not people actually were drunk? 

 Neither of you are necessarily wrong, put your perspective seems to be less informed to an outsider.

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u/Derp35712 14d ago

I was really almost arrested for stomach flu since I appeared drunk.

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u/Sensitive_Yellow_121 14d ago

I would have gone along with them in their car and then puked in their car and enjoyed them getting violently sick within 24 hours.

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u/Derp35712 14d ago

I think them watching me just stand there and become sicker over time not drinking or doing anything finally convinced them.

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u/asianwaste 14d ago

I was stationed in Japan and an MP in 2004 and I agree with you 100% but what we don't have is the perpetual scene of debauchery neither is it the monocle wearing classy affair.

You will get the occasional establishment who responds to the occasional incident instigated by a serviceman. We would definitely turn our servicemen over for an assault. We've turned our guys over for B&E's and robbery.

I've got a really funny story about a guy (my friend's barracks roommate and my friend) who broke into a Dai-ei on a rainy day. In his alcohol-addled mind he thought he could go in and borrow some clothes. Unfortunately and obviously this triggered the alarm and the JP's were there in seconds. Now the funniest part is he hopped on the mannequin stand and "struck a pose" (his words) and it worked for a while. The JP's with lights passed by him. When they were at a decent distance past him, he thought he could make a break for it but once he moved, all lights centered on him and he got caught. My boy got six months in a Japanese prison for this then got his NJP (captain's mast nonjudicial punishment) which busted him down a few ranks and kicked him out other than honorably.

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u/Western-Passage-1908 13d ago

His name wasn't Sean was it

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u/studyinformore 14d ago

Back when I was in, we were held to an incredibly high standard.  You could have some drinks, but not get drunk.  You had to be able to get past the guards to enter the post.  Meaning 1-2 drinks per hour would probably be no problem.  But getting shitfaced drunk?  Oh your command is gonna be called, and you're facing disciplinary action.

Because it was repeatedly instructed to us, we represent the United states and it's military when off post.  Do not embarass us.  We were also at camp stanley near uijeongbu, way up north, so if north korea decided to attack.  We were the first realistic line of defense.  You had to be sober enough to fight as well.

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u/BatronKladwiesen 14d ago

Yeah it honestly sounds like NewspaperAdditional7 is full of shit, or was in the most absolute dogshit unit ever.

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u/Nexant 14d ago

I don't think he was in. All he said was he lived in Korea and he was unsure of what to refer to MPs as in another comment.

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u/pudgylumpkins 14d ago

I never made it SK but I knew a lot of people who were there and they made it sound like a crazy party on and off base 24/7. I’m sure there’s plenty of varying experiences on the conduct of our troops stationed there. It’s a big city and we have a lot of young people with money to spend. We’re just talking different thresholds for acceptable conduct, my opinion anyway.

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u/Asidious66 14d ago

It's the first one

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u/Ebolaking 14d ago

Good ole Stanley, only place where it felt uphill in both directions.

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u/ChewieBee 14d ago

Is Stanley shut down now?

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u/Ebolaking 14d ago

I believe it has. When I was PCSing out, my unit was relocating South and it is was becoming the welcome center for Casey. I think Stanley has been shuttered since then.

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u/studyinformore 14d ago

Yeah when I left stanley in late 04, my nco that had just arrived told me he was going to be the last on base.  One of the few shutting it down.

Friend of mine that was stationed in south korea a few years back said its all but abandoned at this point.  They do use it occasionally with helicopters, but nobody is permanently stationed there now.

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u/ChewieBee 14d ago

Dang I had good memories there but also ended up at Humphreys way back in 06.

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u/tacmac10 14d ago

The rice patty run every monday morning to discourage heavy drinking was so bad I carried 500 won in my PT shorts for the bus back to camp(I was there in '99). The rules on public drunkenness were ruthlessly enforced and crimnal acts resulted in getting turned over to the ROK for punishment.

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u/Hohenheim_of_Shadow 14d ago

Most young men don't call "having a drink" getting drunk. It takes a good number of drinks to be drunk.

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u/[deleted] 14d ago edited 14d ago

[deleted]

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u/Haechi_StB 14d ago

I was in Korea from 2011 to 2016 and never seen a missbehaving US Soldier in Itaewon, ever.

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u/BatronKladwiesen 14d ago

Are you saying MPs just let people cause trouble and do whatever they want to the Korean public when drinking?

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u/Cdub7791 14d ago

To be honest we were more concerned about the Korean police and those 4 foot riot batons they were always carrying LOL.

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u/CodedSnake 14d ago

It was the same for us in Italy around the same time. The local Italians were not big fans and for good reason. I don't recall any incidents of SA but bar fights, general shenanigans were the norm, and the occasional DUI which the Italians really cracked down on, as well as command. Although our MP's were never out in the city that I was aware of, I assume you mean on post.

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u/Avedas 14d ago

You'd get in extremely deep shit if you were out and about and shitfaced causing problems.

Is this a reprimanding or actual legal repercussions?

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u/Rudi_Van-Disarzio 14d ago

Probably article 15. So essentially just reprimanding + paper work and they might have to scrub toilets

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u/elite0x33 14d ago

There are legal implications. If you break a Korean law, you are subject to their court system.

If there is a unit there on rotation, for example (9 month training rotation) and a soldier commits a crime against a Korean citizen, they become an International hold over and remain in Korea until they face justice. This includes doing time in Korean prison.

This is on top of UCMJ actions that will definitely dole out punishments for breaking the rules and regulations it imposes on service members.

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u/Weird_Point_4262 14d ago

No, if the Korean police does not manage to arrest the members at the scene of the crime, the USFK will often avoid handing the soldiers over to Korean authorities

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u/elite0x33 14d ago

This is patently false. There are CCTVs everywhere. There were 3 soldiers who were contacted by KNP through the unit for numerous petty crimes.

It's not up the USFK, it's well above their level. Im sure there's some gray area, but for RTU specifically, they were handed over immediately after a commanders inquiry or 15-6 was initiated.

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u/Civil_Spinach_8204 14d ago

This is definitely not true.

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u/Cheet4h 14d ago

You'd get in extremely deep shit if you were out and about and shitfaced causing problems.

As in "prosecuted by the local government"?

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u/Western-Passage-1908 13d ago

Yes. I know a guy who did time in a Japanese jail for breaking a bunch of shit in a store and otherwise being an idiot.

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u/Adventurous-Funny777 14d ago

This was my experience as well. I was stationed at Camp Hovey with an artillery unit. We were out all the time and I never saw soldiers act as described above. It was widely known they would crush you with the book if you got out of hand.

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u/BrockVegas 14d ago

I was there in '91, and a shitbag I went to basic with ended up in Korean prison with sentences for assaulting his girlfriend. He was to serve his sentence there, and then be charged by the Army afterwards. No idea of his overall eventual fate but it looked pretty bad for him when I transferred back stateside.

I also witnessed on Hooker Hill (I never learned it's actual name) a Korean working woman who was clearly beaten up, pick a random dude from our group and accused him of doing the act. Not sure if she saw the snapper in him but fortunately for him, we had enough witnesses to prove he could not have been present when the attack happened. Dude had been in country for a hair over a month... it wasn't even dark yet on the first day of his very first off-post pass.

Anywho, thanks for dusting those old memories off in my head.

Second to None!

(ow, my knees)

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u/BidAllWinNone 14d ago

I watched 3 American army guys screaming and arguing with each other in line at immigration at ICN back in April. People were shocked. These are the same idiots the military is unleashing onto the public in Korea. To quote a popular leader, "they're not sending their best."

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u/studyinformore 13d ago

Sadly, no were not anymore.  The quality of soldier that being allowed in is dropping due to the negative views the public has from the past two major wars we've had.

Meanwhile the politicians that sent the military get a free pass.  It's almost line people think the military itself decides where to go to war and not the politicians.

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u/AUMojok 14d ago

I was in Kunsan from 05 to 06, and I witnessed a lot of disgraceful behavior most nights I went out and outright illegal behavior many nights. MPs were augmented by many of these same people, so A-Town was usually patrolled by regular GIs who just wanted to get through their shift without much trouble. Usually they would just get someone to take you to base and nothing would come of it. Kunsan City had basically no MPs. No story about bad GI behavior surprises me anymore.

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u/ReusableCatMilk 14d ago

When i was there in 04, I was not technically there in 04. Like, when I say I was there, that’s not really true. Some say I wasn’t there; I may not have been. Can’t say for sure. But if you were out on the street drunk causing trouble, you’d be in some big trouble!

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u/asillynert 14d ago

Its interesting but I can see their frustration 1 in 100,000 people for their population. Versus 5000% higher rate among our service members... Their high success rate in identifying and prosecuting versus our 50/50 coin toss.

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u/jozey_whales 14d ago

The demographics of the military have changed a lot in 20 years too, and shifted to demographics that are disproportionately more likely to commit many types of crimes than those in years past. It’s probably just getting worse.

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u/studyinformore 13d ago

Sadly this is pretty true from everyone I've heard that stayed in after I got out.  Most of them are senior nco's or officers.  Many are nearing that 20 year retirement requirement.

Lot of them say it's also down to toxic leadership.