Latest news with #Japan-U.S.StatusofForcesAgreement
Japan Today
14-05-2025
- Health
- Japan Today
Japan inspects U.S. base at Yokota over suspected PFAS chemical leak
The Japanese government on Wednesday conducted a second on-site inspection of the U.S. Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo over a possible leak of so-called PFAS chemicals, which may pose risks to human health. A similar action was carried out in December amid growing public concern after the United States reported a possible leakage of water containing PFAS from the firefighting training area following heavy rainfall in late August. But Wednesday's inspection marked the first time Japanese officials accessed Yokota Air Base under an environmental agreement supplementing the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, which governs the use of U.S. military bases in Japan. The pact allows Japanese authorities to enter U.S. military bases in Japan to conduct environmental surveys. After processing, the U.S. side intends to release the remaining water at the base, which hosts the headquarters of U.S. Forces Japan. Japanese officials took a sample of the purified water, which they plan to analyze in the next two weeks or so. PFAS is a general term for a group of over 10,000 artificial chemicals that include PFOS, or perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, and PFOA, or perfluorooctanoic acid. Used in a wide range of products, including firefighting foam and nonstick cookware coatings, PFAS are known as "forever chemicals" because they break down very slowly and can accumulate in people, animals, plants and the environment. Exposure to certain levels of PFAS may increase the risk of some cancers. The U.S. military explained that about 380,000 liters of water are pooled at a firefighting facility, while 1.14 million liters remain in a reservoir, with the level of PFOS and PFOA registering 1,240 nanograms per liter. The Japanese Environment Ministry permits the release of water if PFOS and PFOA levels are below 50 nanograms per liter. Japan and the United States have agreed to discharge water from a drainage channel after confirming the concentration is within that threshold. The U.S. military said it is possible to clean the water through activated carbon filters. The latest inspection was carried out by the Japanese defense, foreign and environment ministries, as well as the Tokyo metropolitan government and local municipalities. © KYODO
Yomiuri Shimbun
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan-U.S. Alliance: Correct Trump's Factual Error, Strengthen Defense Cooperation
If U.S. President Donald Trump continues to bloviate about his dissatisfaction with the Japan-U.S. security framework, it could have a negative influence on the alliance and its deterrent power could be diminished. While he may aim to get the upper hand in negotiations with Japan, Trump's assertion that 'we pay hundreds of billions of dollars to defend them [Japan], but they don't pay anything' is clearly wrong. There is an urgent need to correct this factual error and deepen Japan-U.S. defense cooperation. Regarding the Japan-U.S. intergovernmental talks on U.S. tariff measures, Trump initially insisted that the cost of military assistance would also be a subject of negotiations. However, in the end the issue has been set aside. Nevertheless, the Trump administration's assertions that the United States is forced to shoulder many defense burdens for its allies are likely to continue. The Japan-U.S. Security Treaty stipulates the U.S. obligation to defend Japan, while Japan provides bases to the United States. In addition, the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement stipulates that the U.S. side bears the cost of stationing U.S. troops in Japan, excluding land rent and other base-related costs. However, in the 1970s, as the U.S. side demanded that Japan bear a greater burden, the two sides concluded another agreement to increase expenditures by the Japanese side. As a result, the Japanese side's share of the cost of stationing U.S. forces in Japan for the five-year period from fiscal 2022 has risen to over ¥1 trillion. The Japan-U.S. security framework cannot be called a one-sided setup, and it can be said that it balances the obligations of both Japan and the United States. Furthermore, Japan enacted the security-related law in 2015 to make it possible for the Self-Defense Forces to protect U.S. naval and other vessels. The Japanese government should persistently explain to the U.S. side the actual situation in which Japan supports the activities of the U.S. military. At the same time, as the security environment around Japan is deteriorating, it is also essential to deepen Japan-U.S. defense cooperation. A possible option would be for Japan to enhance its response capabilities through joint development of defense equipment with the United States and increase Japan's purchases of U.S.-made equipment. Cooperation in ship-building and other areas is worthy of consideration. However, there have been many cases in which Japan purchased equipment from the United States, but the delivery has been delayed. A total of six state-of-the-art F-35 stealth fighter jets, which were scheduled for deployment in Japan in fiscal 2024, have yet to arrive. This will make it difficult to gain support from the Japanese people if Japan intends to buy more equipment from the United States. Japan also needs to enhance its defense capabilities. The government is in the process of increasing defense spending to a total of about ¥43 trillion over the five years from fiscal 2023. But the government reportedly may not be able to procure equipment as planned due to soaring prices. Increasing the spending will be an important issue to consider. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 8, 2025)
Asahi Shimbun
24-04-2025
- Asahi Shimbun
Okinawa police: 2 U.S. Marines suspected of sexual assault
NAHA—Less than a week after joint Japan-U.S. anti-crime patrols started in Okinawa Prefecture, police here on April 23 announced that two U.S. Marine Corps members have been accused of sexual assault. Okinawa prefectural police said they sent papers on the Marines to the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office on April 7. They did not say if the suspects have admitted to or denied the allegations. According to police, one of the Marines in his 20s is suspected of sexually assaulting a woman in a restroom at a U.S. military base on the main island of Okinawa in March. The woman was an employee of the base. The suspect is also believed to have caused a minor injury to another woman after the assault. Police sent papers to prosecutors regarding this injury, too. The other Marine, also in his 20s, allegedly sexually assaulted a female acquaintance on the main island of Okinawa in January. The three women each contacted prefectural police. The U.S. military, informed of the incidents, has identified the two service members. Under the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), Japan has jurisdiction over U.S. military personnel suspected of committing crimes while off-duty. However, if the United States detains the suspect, the U.S. military can hold that person until indictment by Japanese prosecutors. The two Marines are being held by the U.S. side, so Okinawa police are limited to questioning the suspects on a voluntary basis. A number of sex crimes linked to U.S. military personnel in Okinawa Prefecture were revealed in succession since June last year, reigniting anger within the prefectural government and among the local population. U.S. Forces Japan in July announced countermeasures to prevent a recurrence, including joint patrols conducted by prefectural police and the U.S. military, which started on April 18. The U.S. military had also announced it would hold a 'forum' to exchange opinions with the Okinawa prefectural government and local residents. But it has not held one yet. Last year, Okinawa police identified four cases of suspected sexual misconduct by U.S. military personnel, but one case was dropped. So far this year, three similar allegations have emerged. But one case sent to prosecutors in January was dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Japan Times
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Japan, U.S. patrol Okinawa streets after sexual assaults
U.S. soldiers joined Japanese officials and residents in Okinawa for a one-off joint nighttime patrol Friday following sexual assault cases involving American servicemen. The United States has around 54,000 military personnel stationed in Japan, mostly on the southern island of Okinawa, and their behaviour has long angered locals. A 21-year-old U.S. Marine was charged with rape in June last year, three months after Okinawa prosecutors had charged a 25-year-old U.S. soldier for allegedly assaulting a girl under 16. In the first such joint operation since 1973, participants walked along a downtown street dotted with restaurants, bars and music clubs in the vicinity of a U.S. airbase on Friday night. The U.S. military, which proposed the patrol, said in a statement it reflects "our continued commitment to partnership, accountability and mutual respect." It will contribute "to the safety and trust that are essential to the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance", said Lt. Gen. Roger Turner, commanding general of the III Marine Expeditionary Force and Okinawa Area Coordinator. The patrol continued until the early hours of the following morning. Rules about how to treat crimes committed by U.S. military personnel are stipulated in the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said when he took office in October that he wanted to review the rules. The 1995 gang rape of a 12-year-old girl by three U.S. soldiers in Okinawa prompted a major backlash — with calls for a rethink of the 1960 pact allowing the United States to station soldiers in Japan. The joint patrol also comes as Tokyo and Washington continue efforts to strengthen their alliance, partly in response to China's military build-up.
Japan Times
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Japan, U.S. to hold joint patrol after Okinawa sexual assaults
Japanese and U.S. officials said Friday they will jointly conduct a patrol in Okinawa Prefecture following sexual assault cases involving U.S. servicemen. The United States has around 54,000 military personnel in Japan, mostly in Okinawa Prefecture, and their behavior has long angered locals. The one-off joint operation through busy areas until the early hours of the next day was proposed by the U.S. side. "The joint patrol will be held on the night of April 18, and it is perhaps the first such joint event since 1973," an official in Okinawa Prefecture said. Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki may participate, the official added. The patrol reflects "our continued commitment to partnership, accountability, and mutual respect", said Roger Turner, commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force and Okinawa Area Coordinator. "By working side-by-side with our Japanese counterparts, we are reinforcing shared standards and contributing to the safety and trust that are essential to the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance," he said in a statement. Rules about how to treat crimes committed by U.S. military personnel are stipulated in the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said when he took office in October that he wanted to review them. The 1995 gang rape of a 12-year-old girl by three U.S. soldiers in Okinawa prompted a major backlash, with calls for a rethink of the 1960 pact allowing the United States to station soldiers in Japan. In March last year, prosecutors in Okinawa charged a 25-year-old U.S. soldier for alleged assaulting a girl under 16 years old, according to local media and the top government spokesman. And days after that case emerged in June, another came to light in which a 21-year-old U.S. Marine Corps member had been charged with rape. The joint patrol also comes as Tokyo and Washington continue efforts to strengthen their alliance partly in response to China's military buildup.
