Photo/Illutration Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki answers questions in Tokyo on Jan. 9 after a U.S. serviceman was accused of sexual assault in Okinawa Prefecture. (Kazuki Uechi)

The latest suspected sex crime committed by a U.S. serviceman in Okinawa Prefecture has somewhat united opposing local politicians, but they all appear to lack any new ideas on how to prevent a recurrence.

For now, they will again ask the U.S. military to provide countermeasures against such attacks.

Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki was scheduled to attend an Okinawa Kenjinkai gathering and other events in Los Angeles starting on Jan. 10, but he canceled the trip out of consideration for the wildfires spreading in California.

He is now expected to stay in Naha to lodge protests over the suspected crime with the U.S. military, Japan’s Foreign Ministry and its Defense Ministry at the prefectural government building.

The Okinawa prefectural assembly, which unanimously adopted a protest resolution last July over the sexual misconduct of U.S. servicemen, is also stepping up its criticism.

On Jan. 9, prefectural assembly members from the Liberal Democratic Party visited the Defense Ministry’s Okinawa Defense Bureau and the Foreign Ministry’s Okinawa Liaison Office to demand thorough measures to prevent a recurrence.

“This is something that must not happen,” Dai Shimabukuro, chairman of the LDP’s Okinawa branch, told reporters. “The LDP will say what we need to say.”

The LDP has clashed with Tamaki over a number of issues, including the governor’s attempts to halt construction of a new U.S. air station in the prefecture.

But the two sides both agree that something must be done to protect the safety of residents in Okinawa.

In the latest case, Okinawa prefectural police said a member of the U.S. Marine Corps in his 30s sexually assaulted and injured an unacquainted woman in a building located on the main island of Okinawa in late November.

The case was referred to the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office on Jan. 8. The Marine remains in the custody of the U.S. military.

An official of the U.S. Marine Corps stationed in Okinawa commented on the case in response to questions from The Asahi Shimbun.

“The alleged act does not reflect the U.S. military’s core values and does not represent the overwhelming majority of U.S. service members,” the official said.

Since last June, a series of sexual assaults against women and children allegedly by U.S. military personnel have been reported in the prefecture.

Tamaki protested to the commander of the U.S. Air Force in Okinawa at that time. He also visited the United States last September and pleaded directly to officials of the U.S. State Department and Defense Department to implement effective countermeasures.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi also spoke about the latest case at a news conference on Jan. 9.

“What is important is that the measures taken by the U.S. side will actually prevent a recurrence of such incidents and accidents,” he said. “We will continue to urge the U.S. military in Japan to strictly observe discipline and thoroughly prevent a recurrence.”

(This article was written by Kazuki Uechi and Satsuki Tanahashi.)

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