Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan’s Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs OKANO Masataka met with US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel at the Foreign Ministry on Friday to “express extreme regret over the recent prosecutions and arrests of US military personnel for sexual related crimes in Okinawa.”

Okano said the repetition of such incidents is detrimental to the trust of US Forces in Japan by local communities. He urged the Americans to strengthen discipline within the military and take concrete steps to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. 

Ambassador Emanuel said he is seriously concerned by the recent allegations against US military personnel and expressed “deep regret” for the “anxiety” they have caused local communities. 

The Ambassador reaffirmed the commitment of the United States to cooperate with local authorities in the investigations of the alleged incidents and hold accountable anyone who is convicted. 

He said he would work closely with the government to ensure US military personnel maintain the highest standards of behavior and conduct. 

He added that the allegations, “if true,” do not reflect the values of US service members who serve in Japan. 

“We can do better, we will do better, we must do better,” he said. “It is clear the protections we have in place are insufficient. We are not meeting the standards we set for ourselves and the standards that we hold for the community. We need to do better and fix this fast.”