Troop Crimes Threaten U.S.-Japan Alliance

[unhappycamper]

Troop Crimes Threaten U.S.-Japan Alliance
Associated Press | February 22, 2008

TOKYO - Japan's defense minister warned Feb. 22 that further crimes by American troops here could shake the two countries' alliance. The foreign minister said Tokyo will install security cameras around U.S. bases and take other steps to deter crime.

The warning of fraying ties by Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba came amid a furor over troop-related crimes after a U.S. Marine's arrest last week on suspicion of raping a 14-year-old girl on the southern island of Okinawa.

"I don't think an alliance is possible unless the U.S. shares the view that if incidents like this continue to happen, it could shake the foundation of the Japan-U.S. alliance," Ishiba said during a parliamentary meeting.

Ishiba urged the U.S. to take concrete preventive measures, and said promises to improve behavior in the future were not enough.

The Marine's arrest and a series of other crimes blamed on U.S. troops have heightened sentiments against the U.S. military presence in Japan, particularly on Okinawa, where more than half the 50,000 U.S. troops in the country are based.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,162576,00.html

[Lint Head]

1. You mean WWII is not over?

Uh oh. There goes Honda, Toyota and that wonderful elitist comfy chair called the Lexus. :dem: