Feb 15, 2008, 12:26 AM
and raping Okinawan girls!!!!!!!!!!!!
But they deserve it for Pearl Harbor, right Angel Queen?
Afterall, you are in Key West!!!
Angry Okinawa wants smaller U.S. military presence By Linda Sieg
Thu Feb 14, 7:21 AM ET
TOKYO (Reuters) - Angry lawmakers on Japan's southern island of Okinawa called for progress on shrinking the U.S. military presence and tighter discipline among U.S. troops after the arrest of a Marine on suspicion of raping a schoolgirl.
The 38-year-old Marine, Tyrone Hadnott, based at Camp Courtney on the island, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of raping the 14-year-old Japanese girl when the two were in a car on Sunday. He has denied raping the girl but acknowledged forcing her to kiss him, an Okinawa police spokesman said.
"Considering the fact that such vicious, atrocious incidents have never ceased to occur, we must question the way the U.S. military enforces discipline and educates its soldiers," the Okinawa assembly said in a resolution protesting the incident.
The lawmakers demanded an apology and compensation for the girl and her family, steps to prevent similar crimes in the future, and a reduction of U.S. forces on the island, reluctant host to the bulk of the nearly 50,000 U.S. troops in Japan.
The top commander of the U.S. forces in Japan told reporters that the military had set up a task force to review and strengthen programs to prevent sexual harassment and assault.
"It is our job to do everything we can to restore the confidence of the Japanese people in the U.S. forces stationed here in Japan," Lieutenant-General Bruce Wright said.
"We are making no excuses and are absolutely committed to preventing this from happening again," he added.
The incident has triggered memories of the 1995 rape of a 12-year-old girl by three U.S. servicemen that ignited huge protests on Okinawa.
Tokyo has been trying to persuade residents of Okinawa to accept a plan to move the Marines' Futenma air base from the crowded city of Ginowan to the coastal city of Nago, part of a broader plan to move about 8,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam.
Both Tokyo and Washington are keen to keep the incident from affecting security ties, and on Thursday, some local assembly members from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party expressed hope that the Futenma relocation plan would not be affected.
"The relocation is a totally different issue," Kyodo news agency quoted Tsunehiro Iha, an LDP assembly member, as saying.
Iha added that "mounting sentiment against U.S. bases could lead to the cancellation of the transfer."
The episode has sparked some calls for changes to the agreement governing the status of U.S. military personnel in Japan, including the handling of criminal cases.
But Wright said no such discussions were underway. "Nothing to do with SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) is slowing down our comprehensive and timely investigation," he said.
Many Okinawans resent the bases, though others welcome the boost the U.S. military presence provides to the local economy.
But they deserve it for Pearl Harbor, right Angel Queen?
Afterall, you are in Key West!!!
Angry Okinawa wants smaller U.S. military presence By Linda Sieg
Thu Feb 14, 7:21 AM ET
TOKYO (Reuters) - Angry lawmakers on Japan's southern island of Okinawa called for progress on shrinking the U.S. military presence and tighter discipline among U.S. troops after the arrest of a Marine on suspicion of raping a schoolgirl.
The 38-year-old Marine, Tyrone Hadnott, based at Camp Courtney on the island, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of raping the 14-year-old Japanese girl when the two were in a car on Sunday. He has denied raping the girl but acknowledged forcing her to kiss him, an Okinawa police spokesman said.
"Considering the fact that such vicious, atrocious incidents have never ceased to occur, we must question the way the U.S. military enforces discipline and educates its soldiers," the Okinawa assembly said in a resolution protesting the incident.
The lawmakers demanded an apology and compensation for the girl and her family, steps to prevent similar crimes in the future, and a reduction of U.S. forces on the island, reluctant host to the bulk of the nearly 50,000 U.S. troops in Japan.
The top commander of the U.S. forces in Japan told reporters that the military had set up a task force to review and strengthen programs to prevent sexual harassment and assault.
"It is our job to do everything we can to restore the confidence of the Japanese people in the U.S. forces stationed here in Japan," Lieutenant-General Bruce Wright said.
"We are making no excuses and are absolutely committed to preventing this from happening again," he added.
The incident has triggered memories of the 1995 rape of a 12-year-old girl by three U.S. servicemen that ignited huge protests on Okinawa.
Tokyo has been trying to persuade residents of Okinawa to accept a plan to move the Marines' Futenma air base from the crowded city of Ginowan to the coastal city of Nago, part of a broader plan to move about 8,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam.
Both Tokyo and Washington are keen to keep the incident from affecting security ties, and on Thursday, some local assembly members from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party expressed hope that the Futenma relocation plan would not be affected.
"The relocation is a totally different issue," Kyodo news agency quoted Tsunehiro Iha, an LDP assembly member, as saying.
Iha added that "mounting sentiment against U.S. bases could lead to the cancellation of the transfer."
The episode has sparked some calls for changes to the agreement governing the status of U.S. military personnel in Japan, including the handling of criminal cases.
But Wright said no such discussions were underway. "Nothing to do with SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) is slowing down our comprehensive and timely investigation," he said.
Many Okinawans resent the bases, though others welcome the boost the U.S. military presence provides to the local economy.