TOKYO, Jan 9 (NNN-NHK) – Japan’s top government spokesman, Yoshimasa Hayashi, today, urged the U.S. military to implement preventive measures, regarding further sexual assaults, following a recent incident involving a U.S. Marine in Okinawa.
The latest case, in which the serviceman, in his 30s, is accused of sexually assaulting and injuring a woman, in the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa last Nov, has caused renewed concern among local residents, Chief Cabinet Secretary, Hayashi said.
“We will urge U.S. forces in Japan to tighten discipline and fully implement preventive measures,” Hayashi told a press conference.
Okinawa police referred the sexual assault case to prosecutors yesterday, the latest in a series of violent attacks on women on the island, hosting the bulk of U.S. military facilities.
The island of Okinawa hosts 70 percent of all the U.S. military bases in Japan, while accounting for only 0.6 percent of the country’s total land area. Crimes committed by U.S. service members and non-military personnel have been a constant source of grievance for locals.– NNN-NHK
