US Military Crimes in Japan 50% of Local Average: Rice
US military personnel stationed in Japan carry out, on average, 50 per cent less serious crimes than local residents, Lieutenant General Edward Rice, commander of US forces in the country, said on July 15th.
The US military, he said, is “absolutely convinced” that the measures it has implemented are working, although trying to document the crimes that, consequently, have not taken place is proving tough.
Speaking to the media, Rice quantified the level of crimes carried out by US forces deployed on Japanese territory as “approximately half” those committed by civilians.
This, given the country’s generally low rate of crime, gives “...a strong indication that our actions are having an effect", he added.
US Marine Sexual Assault Case
Residents in Japan have been angered by a string of recent incidents, such as a US Marine’s sexual assault of a girl, aged 14, on the Japanese island of Okinawa.
US Troop Force in Japan
Faced with this reaction, the US military said it would impose tighter discipline on the 40,000-strong troop force it has deployed in this part of the world.
"Despite all of our efforts, I believe there is often a misperception about the level of crimes committed by U.S. service members", Rice commented, adding: "We will continue to work hard to prevent unwanted activity and vigorously prosecute those very, very few who did not live up to our standard."
US/ Japanese Military Tie
On the subject of Japan reducing the financial backing it currently gives the US military, Rice was dismissive. The military tie between it and the US, he said, represented “a bargain”, but he added that the military would "continue to look for ways to make sure they get their money's worth."
Source – Armed Forces International’s Far East Correspondent
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