Regrettable News

Last sunday, four American soldiers raped a Japanese girl at Hiroshima city. Today mass medias reported about it. Hmm, the Americans are soldiers of Iwakuni base. Four soldiers forcibly boxed the 19 -year-old girl in their car and raped her. I can not help saying undisciplined army must be in Japan.



As far as I know, American soldiers are unpopular in Iwakuni and Hiroshima. I heard disturbed Vietnam veterans stayed and did ill in Iwakuni. As to Hiroshima, I needn't to say anything about it, I think.



When I was teenager, American soldiers raped a Japanese girl at Okinawa. It was a serious incident and people in Okinawa became irate and demonstrated. Why they repeat such thing?



If my memory is correct, in the case of Okinawa, American army hadn't turned over soon and America's attitude worsened the situation. Now America says "We can't answer at this time" about extradition. Their answer reminds me about Okinawan case. Hiroshima police doesn't obtain an arrest warrant on the soldiers yet. I hope America turn over after Hiroshima police get it.



Several years ago, might be last year, a American chopper crashed on an university's campus. American army denied Japan's investigation and people and its students got mad. I understand why Iraqi people got mad.



Dalai Lama met with president Bush. Bush said he can't close his eyes about China's human light issue. Mr. Bush, please close your eyes or things get worse.



Reuters reported (I didn't read this) on http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUST1130020071019?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true



Japan probes reported gang-rape by U.S. Marines

Fri Oct 19, 2007 2:22am EDT

 



TOKYO (Reuters) - Police in Japan are investigating allegations that four U.S. Marines raped a 19-year-old Japanese woman, media and officials said, the latest episode to plague the U.S. military's relations with local communities.





"I have received a report of a Japanese woman being raped by several men in the early morning of October 14 in the city of Hiroshima," Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura told a news conference on Friday.





"The Hiroshima police are proceeding with the investigation in cooperation with U.S. forces in Japan," he said. "Of course, if it is true it is unforgivable."





Public broadcaster NHK reported that four U.S. Marines from Iwakuni Marine Corps Air Station in southwest Japan had raped a 19-year-old woman in a car at a car park in nearby Hiroshima City after meeting her at an event hall.





The mayor of Iwakuni had suggested this week he was willing to discuss the expansion of the Marine base.





Major G.A. Canedo, public affairs officer at the base, said four Marines had been confined there.





"We are aware of the allegations. The matter is being investigated and we are cooperating fully with local authorities," Canedo said, but declined to give further details.





Police in Hiroshima confirmed that an investigation was under way but declined to say whether they would demand that the four Marines be handed over into their custody.





A U.S.-Japan pact governing the conduct of U.S. military personnel in Japan does not require the transfer of military suspects until they are charged, but Washington has agreed to favorably consider pre-indictment transfers in cases of suspected rape, murder and other heinous crimes.





Japan is host to about 50,000 U.S. military personnel as part of the U.S.-Japan security alliance, but friction often occurs with local communities near the bases because of concern about crime, accidents and noise.





The 1995 rape of a Japanese schoolgirl by three U.S. servicemen on the southern island of Okinawa sparked huge protests.





Last year voters in Iwakuni rejected in a non-binding referendum a plan to expand the nearby Marine base by moving carrier-based planes and personnel from Atsugi naval base near Tokyo.





Asahi reported on http://www.asahi.com/national/update/1019/OSK200710190030.html



岩国基地の米兵４人、１９歳女性を集団強姦の疑い　広島



2007年10月19日19時48分



　広島市内で今月１４日、１９歳の女性が集団で乱暴される事件があり、広島県警は、山口県岩国市の米海兵隊岩国基地所属の米兵４人がかかわった疑いが強いとみて、集団強姦（ごうかん）容疑で捜査を始めた。県警はすでに４人を特定しており、逮捕状を請求したうえで来週初めにも日米地位協定に基づいて４人の身柄の引き渡しを米軍側に求める。



　調べでは、米兵４人は１４日午前３時半ごろ、広島市中区銀山町の貸し会場で開かれていたダンスイベントで知り合った女性（１９）を外に止めていた車に無理やり押し込め、約２キロ離れた同区榎町の駐車場に止めて車の中で集団で強姦した疑いが持たれている。女性から被害届が出ていた。イベントには約４００人が来ており、女性と４人に面識はなかったという。



　４人は同日、基地に帰ったところを、県警から通報を受けた米軍に拘束されたという。



　岩国基地報道部は１９日、朝日新聞の取材に対し、広島県警の捜査との関連で海兵隊員４人を同基地内で拘束していることを明らかにした。報道部は「地元関係機関には全面協力している」としたうえで、４人の身柄の日本側への引き渡しに関しては「現段階では答えられない」と述べた。



　日米地位協定は日本に駐留する米軍の待遇を定めたもの。公務外や基地外での犯罪で、身柄が米軍にある場合、警察は逮捕状を請求し、国を通じて米軍に身柄の引き渡しを求める。協定では日本側が起訴するまでは米軍が容疑者を拘束するが、「殺人、強姦などの凶悪な犯罪」には起訴前の身柄引き渡しに「好意的配慮」を払うことが９５年に両国で合意されている。



No photo today.