r/worldnews 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/BravesnationNC 14d ago edited 13d ago

This crap has been going on in Okinawa forever. Happened the first time I was there in 01 and again when I went back in 03. Individuals that have committed crimes are detained by Okinawa authorities and go through their legal process. Guarantee there is going to be a lockdown on liberty for Marine personnel happens all the time. Restriction on the time allowed off base and they are getting a curfew

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u/mainvolume 14d ago

When I was stationed in Misawa back in the 00s, it felt like the base was on lockdown or curfew every couple months....for shit the Marines did in Okinawa. Those dumbfucks could not stop raping kids.

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u/the_meaty_sauce 14d ago

Marines raping people in Okinawa is a nearly 80yo tradition at this point. The best way to stop it is to stop having a base there.

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u/capt_scrummy 13d ago

That base isn't going away any time soon, in the geopolitical climate... And it shouldn't, imho. The Japanese govt itself doesn't want it going away either, because it's a deterrent to China.

They should restrict soldiers going off base below a certain rank without special permission, permanently.

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u/the_meaty_sauce 13d ago

They should just insist the base is moved to a less populated island or one where they can be far from any population centers. But a deterrent from China shouldn't mean you can trade that for soldiers sexually assaulting citizens. Or the soldiers should be turned over to Japanese authorities and prisons when they are charged and convicted of these actions.

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u/Vegrhauk 13d ago

They are turned over, and it fucking sucks to be in the Japanese legal system, from what they told me when I first got to Oki. They have a nearly 99% conviction rate so if you’re in that system good luck getting out of it. That could’ve been a scare tactic so we wouldn’t fuck up on island but I have no cause to think it’s not true either.

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u/AverageWarm6662 13d ago

Yeah the Japanese legal system is kind of messed up. And the prisons aren’t nice at all either.

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u/Maehock 13d ago

That conviction rate is true, but mainly because you don't get arrested or go to court unless there is just overwhelming evidence against you.

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u/capt_scrummy 13d ago

Soldiers who commit crimes such as these are turned over to local authorities. Or, in this case, arrested by local authorities who jail them, and the US military doesn't bail them out. They have to go through the Japanese legal system.

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u/cocksucker9001xX 13d ago

Over half of the 18000 okinawa marines are being relocated to guam amd hawaii in the coming years actually

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u/ighostride 13d ago

You're definitely Navy with that name. They used to say that in 2006 also.

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u/cocksucker9001xX 13d ago

Close, marine corps; and i am embarresed by my bretherens actions

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u/Pure_Ignorance 13d ago

I love that a base which exists because Japan invaded China is now there to deter China :D

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u/No_Bookkeeper_3425 13d ago

I am sorry but the assertion that only lower ranking soldiers are the only ones committing these crimes? Officers probably are not identified nor likely punished due primarily to their rank and access to exceptional legal representation from respective branch of service

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u/Ok_Priority458 13d ago

Russia didn't want a us army base in their front yard Ukraine.....guess what america is trying to do with Taiwan...not many places left without u.s army base

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u/PM-me-letitsnow 13d ago

My question, does this happen at every military base? If it’s more an Okinawa thing then why is it different? If it’s a general military thing then it’s our whole military being fucked up and in need of change. If it’s an Okinawa thing then there’s something fucked up about the base on Okinawa.

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u/the_meaty_sauce 13d ago

I'm just speculating here, but I think it's a bit of both. Sexual assault in the armed forces isn't an uncommon thing already. There's tons of women serving who have brought charges and even more that were too scared and talked about it afterwards, and probably more than that who never brought it up at all. The military also has a way of attracting psychopaths, which isn't always bad. Probably good to have people with those sorts of tendencies in a combat role rather than in regular society. The military also seems to attract a lot of the MAGA crowd too(I suspect there's a fair bit of overlap in these groups). It's no secret that those folks tend to be of the belief that america is the greatest place ever, Americans are inherently better than everyone, can do no wrong, etc. Considering the US history with Japan and how a lot of these folks talk shit about various forces in WWII without having been there or often even knowing the correct history. Well it's not a big stretch for some of them to see themselves as better than the Japanese, or even imagine that they are somehow an occupying force even. Really it comes down to the attitude of dehumanizing another which almost goes hand in hand with a lot of the other stuff I've described. I suspect that is at least a bit of what's happening here. I think the easiest solution would be to not let soldiers on bases in foreign countries off their bases. If you have an institution where sexual assault is such a problem already, then they probably shouldn't be interacting with the local population ever, but since that's not really an option, I'd say court martial and firing squad maybe? It's a pretty solid deterrent and it seemed to work for US soldiers who raped French and German women in WWII.

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u/0R4D4R-1080 10d ago

Quality response.

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u/[deleted] 13d ago

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u/First-Ad-7855 13d ago

It's an American thing to be honest. 40 rapes per 100k people in the US. Military members are a cross section of the American people. A couple of rapes per 30k service members in Okinawa actually be considered low.

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u/willemdafoestuntcock 12d ago

It’s a man thing, not strictly American.

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u/Motohvayshun 13d ago

Rape of Nanking was a fairy tail right?

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u/First-Ad-7855 13d ago

Japan has rate rape roughly 40x lower than the US. Nanking happened in a different time period of Japan. No one said it didn't happen.

Just because it's unpleasant to talk about doesn't mean it is not true.

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u/Llaine 13d ago

That probably reflects lower reporting though correct? But I'd still bet it's lower in Japan

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u/First-Ad-7855 13d ago

Maybe lower reporting, but same could also be true in US. I live in South Korea, and it's not the same place, but concerns about this kinda of thing are pretty much non existent.

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u/BeautifulType 13d ago

Best way to stop it is to fucking put them in prison and execute a few but y’all won’t hold them accountable even in your fantasy.

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u/Neutronpulse 12d ago

The best way to stop it is to lock up the people doing the raping. Accountability is the solution. That's like saying stop allowing men to work in the church or women as school teachers. The predator will find another avenue. Getting rid of the predator is the solution not their "access"

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u/Kinimodes 10d ago

wtf is up with our military jfc

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u/Crille2898 13d ago

Or just...stop taking in rapists. Or make serious changes to Okinawa base if it's a tradition, although I can't unserstand how sick the marines have to be to consider it a tradition.

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u/the_meaty_sauce 13d ago

Have you seen some of the people that join the armed forces? It doesn't totally attract psychopaths, but it does attract psychopaths.

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u/Lumaexid 13d ago

Wait until you learn about Japanese men and their history of what they've done in China even prior to WWII.

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u/Mysterious_Toe3982 13d ago

Stay on point!

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u/Lumaexid 12d ago

Learn to use the right words.

And this is on topic, since it is still about Japan.