“The intensity of my anger at it will remain in my mind,” responds GovernorTamaki to incidents involving injury such as forced sexual intercourse by US Military personnel in Okinawa. (20ap22)


Splendor of Okinawa: Golden trumpet, wall in Uruma.


Last October a woman suffered injuries seemingly due to a sexual assault.

A male US Marine was sent to prosecutors for a crime involving injury such as forced intercourse. Referring to the incident, on 19 April, Governor Denny Tamaki commented, “This is something that infringes on a woman’s rights. It’s absolutely unforgivable and the intensity of my anger at it will remain in my mind.


On 19 April as well, the Prefectural Police made clear that the perpetrator was attached to a US Military base in Okinawa. The incident occurred last October. The Prefectural Police sent the documents to the prosecutors as a suspected case of injury due to forced obscenity. But in December, the Naha Prosecutors charged the man with a crime involving injury such as forced intercourse. 


Later, based on the US-Japan Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), the US Military  handed the man over to the Japanese side. The Prefectural Police explained that, until then, the man had remained under the control of the US Military.

　

The Prefecture announced publicly on 19 April that it had received the report summary of the incident from the US Military on the man who had been charged last December. The incident had not been made public as there was a request from the Prefectural Police to refrain from publicizing it “To protect the privacy of the victim.” Moreover, there was an offer from the US side to come forward with an apology. It is claimed that those responsible on the Japanese Government and US Military sides were called together, and thorough repeat prevention measures and educational administration were requested.


Governor Tamaki, noting that both in last January and in April there were also incidents involving US soldiers or  military related individuals within the prefecture,  criticized the Japanese Government’s  response, commenting, “I have no choice but to say that the educational and administrative system of the US Military in Okinawa is totally insufficient. “


Original Japanese article: Asahi Shimbun Digital, published Tuesday 19 April 2022 at 20:22. Byline: Shogo Mitsuzumi and Yumu (=由睦?)Yamanaka

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/e1f58b85991b20c0fd9715b057859e3023b101a9


Denny in the News: news about Okinawan Governor Denny Tamaki.

Denny Tamaki is the governor of Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. Although Okinawa is important as an international tourist destination and a key element in strategic US Military Forces, its governor receives very little coverage in the Japanese press and almost none in the English language media. 

  1. This blog hopes to  translate one news article a day on the governor.  It is unsponsored and unauthorized. The translator simply hopes to improve his skills and perhaps give the governor an English speaking audience. 

  2. Any suggestion on improving the translation will be gratefully accepted. However, please leave political comments for another forum.

  3. Where they occur, words and phrases in Ryukyuan (the Okinawan language) are rendered in italics and translated in parentheses. Names  whose readings are uncertain are rendered as Name (=Kanji?) as in Nagayuki (=長行?). Any corrections in such instances would be gratefully appreciated.

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