Stars and Stripes – US Military-related crime reports “relatively low” on Okinawa
Stars and Stripes reports that statistics on crime by US military personnel and dependents reveals a “mixed bag” for the first half of 2008, but there is still a “relatively low” number of crime reports:
While the number of felony and major misdemeanor crime allegations decreased, the number of SOFA personnel arrested dramatically increased. According to Okinawa Prefectural Police statistics, 36 SOFA personnel were arrested during the first six months of this year.
That’s 11 more than the same period last year, an increase of 44 percent.
However, the number of crimes attributed to Americans connected with the military dropped by two, from 46 charges in the first half of 2007 to 44 so far this year, a decrease of 4.5 percent.
“That’s because more individuals have been involved in single cases,” an Okinawa police spokesman said. For example, four teenagers and a 21-year-old Air Force military policeman were charged with robbing two cab drivers in March.
The number of Americans arrested reverses the downward trend that began in 2003. However, Okinawa police are hesitant to make too much of the numbers, pointing out that the numbers are too small and appear to be more significant than they actually are.
The article also contains some past statistics on military and DOD civilian crime:
January-June 2008:
- 36 people arrested on 44 charges.
- 20 active duty, including three minors (younger than 20).
- 13 dependents, all minors.
- Three civilians.
January-June 2007:
- 25 individuals arrested on 46 charges.
- 19 active duty, including five minors.
- Six dependents, including four minors.
January-June 2006:
- 30 individuals on 28 charges.
- 20 active duty, including five minors.
- 10 dependents, all minors.
Stars and Stripes emphasizes that these numbers may appear high, but they actually reflect a low crime rate. The per-capita crime arrest rate for US military personnel was half the rate of Okinawa prefecture’s general population.
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One incident is too many. Shut down the bases, increase the Japanese military spending. They have to stand on their own two feet sooner or later. Better now than the next time a marine rapes another 12 year-old.
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“Stars and Stripes emphasizes that these numbers may appear high, but they actually reflect a low crime rate. The per-capita crime arrest rate for US military personnel was half the rate of Okinawa prefecture’s general population.”
Somewhat misleading. The crime rate for the military population does not include crimes committed on base, where members of the military spend most of their time. A study in the 1990s showed that on-base crime rates were very high indeed – much higher than crime rates in broader American society. The worst crime rates were on bases in Japan. It is simply ridiculous to claim that U.S. soldiers ‘only cause half the crime as regular Okinawans’, when for more than half of the time they are not, jurisdictionally speaking, ‘in’ Okinawa.
Also, you have to bear in mind that if the crime is not serious, the Japanese police have no power if the offender is a U.S. serviceman who makes it back to base. Thus you get fewer Okinawans reporting crime because they do not have much faith in the police’s ability to do their job. Even in the case of serious crimes, the U.S. authorities only have to show appropriate “consideration” to the Japanese police, whatever that means.
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Yes one incident is too many, but I’m also sick and tired of people labeling us rapists. If you want to talk about the Military raping and pregnating 12 year old girls then you should take a long hard look what the UN Peace Keepers are doing in Africa.
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You can’t compare a large group of soldiers to the general population, Okinawan or American, and get anything meaningful out of it.
Society as a whole does not have a majority of 18-24 year old males of middle- or lower- middle-class backgrounds who are being trained to be professional fighters, and are typically isolated from a significant number of woman, parents, or other people who would have a neutralizing effect on their more aggressive behaviors.
Because of these factors, you must make extraordinary measures to clamp down on crime, but to compare them to “society as a whole” is like saying the people in your town get into less fights proportionately than the local rugby team.
You should compare the base in Okinawa to bases in other countries, including the US, to see if there is a problem there beyond the problems you ordinarily find on military bases.
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Well, actually you can when the military commanders are crowing about how low the crime rate is compared to the general population. It is a way of demonstrating that their information is incorrect.
In any case, the study in the 1990s did compare crimes on and off bases in Okinawa and mainland Japan with crimes on and off military bases in Europe, the U.S. and elsewhere. The crime rate for Japan, including rape, was the highest by a long shot.
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if the US military left japan, they would have a great difficulty protecting itself from north korean, chinese, or russian attack.
so that would not be very wise…
Japan and the US have “Status of Forces Agreements (SOFAs)” to ensure that military members abide by host nation laws. GIs are also subject to the UCMJ (unified code of military justice.) They must obey all Japanese laws like any other citizen and are subject to prosecution from Japan AND the US. GIs have extra incentive to play by the rules, because breaking the law costs them a whole lot more than a fine or jail time.
Idiots and crooks live everywhere. Crime happens, cant be eliminated, only minimized.
A little bit of a tangent, the only consolation I would suggest is that the Army and Marines would stop recruiting people with questionable or unstable histories and exacerbating it with war experiences from the middle east. it tends to make unstable people that much more crazy.
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“They must obey all Japanese laws like any other citizen and are subject to prosecution from Japan AND the US.”
Yes, but only when they are under Japanese jurisdiction, which, while they are on base, they are not.
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