editorial

The Japanese government recently made public the data that 310 Japan-based American service personnel were acquitted of all kinds of crimes in the past 10-odd years.

According to it, the Yokohama and Naha district prosecutor's offices and other prosecution organs dropped the criminal cases of GIs and it was the year 2015 that recorded the largest number of those who were acquitted of crimes, which reached as many as 42.

As is known, GI crimes ceaselessly occur in Japan. In particular, Okinawa with many US military bases is a nest of GI crimes.

Data indicates that the cases of murder, rape, robbery, etc. committed by US service personnel in Okinawa Prefecture numbered more than 6 230 between 1972 and 2023.

In particular, the accidents caused by GIs amounted to over 201 000 cases between 1952 and 2004 and about 1 100 Japanese were dead in the accidents. But only one American faced a trial in the period.

This is attributable to the Japanese authorities’ policy of submission to the US.

According to the US-Japan status of forces agreement which was concluded after the Second World War, in case an American soldier committed a crime not during the execution of his official duty, primary jurisdiction is granted to the Japanese side. However, with the exception of the escape clauses including the arrest of a criminal in an act of crime, the US side is to detain the person concerned in principle before an indictment is filed. Consequently, American criminals are naturally acquitted of their crimes.

Meanwhile, another clause of the status of forces agreement contains the stipulation that if a member of the US forces causes damage to the body or property of the Japanese citizens, the member is exempt from liability for compensation for damage to the victims as the Japanese government is to pay for the damage.

Last year alone, several concealment cases related to GI crimes happened in Japan.

In November 2024, a GI in his 30s committed a sexual assault on a local woman in a building in the middle part of Okinawa Prefecture to injure her. But the police concealed the case for a long time on the pretext of investigation, before informing the prefectural authorities of it.

Another sexual assault was perpetrated by an American soldier some time later, but the police did not inform the prefectural authorities of that.

As the Japanese people including the Okinawa residents are getting more vocal against their authorities, they are demanding the revision of the unequal status of forces agreement. But the Japanese authorities do never care about the dignity and human rights of their citizens.

Rather, they are trying to appease the growing wrath of the people, saying that the US forces play a big role in ensuring peace and security and that people should not see GIs as villains, while flattering and yielding to the US, only studying its face.

Consequently, the GIs, too puffed up, unhesitatingly commit crimes everywhere and get off scot-free.

Unless the authorities of Japan abandon the policy of submission to the US, its people will remain in disgrace and keep suffering misfortunes.