The Foreign Ministry has announced measures to prevent a repeat of crime by US military personnel in Okinawa, including expanded education for US forces and more frequent patrols. The announcement follows the robbery and murder of a person in Okinawa by a US Marine.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the government would take part directly. "The Japanese government will also be involved in expanding education for US forces stationed in Okinawa," he said.
Under the plan, a ministry ambassador posted to Okinawa will give lectures to US personnel to make Japan's legal system better understood. A program on Okinawa's history and culture will be launched in the next fiscal year.
Joint Japan-US patrols already run in Okinawa City and elsewhere will be increased in frequency, the ministry said.
Patrols and lectures fall short of SOFA change
The measures stop at education and patrols. They do not touch the status of forces agreement (SOFA) — the pact governing the legal position of US troops in Japan — which limits how Japanese police can act on base crime.
The ministry did not say when the lectures would begin, how often the patrols would run, or how many personnel the programs would reach.