opinion

GI crimes are continuously disclosed in Okinawa, Japan.

In December last year, a US marine committed an outrage on a taxi driver near a hotel and fled by the taxi in Naha City.

In 2008, a taxi robbery was committed by two GIs off duty in Okinawa. But the Supreme Court of Japan reportedly rejected the demand of the bereaved families for security payment.

Now crimes and various kinds of accidents keep occurring due to GIs in Okinawa where more than 70 percent of the Japan-based US military facilities are concentrated. According to data available, accidents caused by GIs in Japan numbered more than 201 000 between 1952 and 2004, and the Japanese killed by the accidents about 1 100. But it was reported that only one GI was tried in the period.

The crimes committed by GIs in Japan between 1972 and 2023 numbered more than 6 230.

Sexual assaults and rapes by GIs happen frequently.

Three marines committed sexual assaults on a primary schoolgirl in September 1995, a marine did an outrage on a middle school girl in February 2008 and a US airman abducted and raped a girl under 16 in December 2023. Like this, GIs in Japan abuse even minors to satisfy their animal lust.

Police reportedly did not make public a sexual assault committed by a GI in November last year under the pretext of investigation into the case before informing the prefectural authorities of it only on January 8 this year.

The US forces are even engrossed in murder, not content with violence against women.

Whenever such an incident occurred, the inhabitants of the prefecture complained of anxiety and suffering, but the Japanese authorities dissuaded residents from seeing the American service personnel as villains, as if they were doing a great job for peace and stability.

Much puffed up over the Japanese authorities' servile behaviour, American servicemen do not admit their crimes.

Unless the Japanese authorities change in their policy subservient to the US, the inhabitants of Okinawa will continue to suffer misfortunes.