Blinken and Austin discuss the impact of US forces on the Japanese population in the wake of sexual assault cases

ISTANBUL

Senior officials from Washington and Tokyo discussed on Sunday the impact of the deployment of around 50,000 US troops on the local population of Japan in light of cases of sexual abuse.

Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara received their US counterparts Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin for the so-called 2+2 meeting in Tokyo.

The meeting took place against the backdrop of increasing cases of sexual assault by US forces stationed in Japan.

At least five such cases have been reported in recent weeks and the local government of Okinawa accused the US side of withholding information about these incidents.

Since the end of World War II in 1945, around 50,000 US soldiers have been stationed in Japan as part of a bilateral security pact, about half of them in Okinawa, where most cases of sexual abuse have been reported.

According to a statement from Tokyo following the 2+2 meeting, both sides discussed “the US troop presence with a view to mitigating the impact on local communities, including in Okinawa”.

Tokyo called on Washington to ensure “safe operations by US forces with the greatest possible consideration of the impact on local communities, appropriate responses to incidents and accidents, including timely exchange of information, and cooperation on environmental issues.”

Both sides welcomed the efforts of the US and Japanese forces to “prevent unacceptable incidents and behavior,” the statement said.

After the sexual abuse cases came to light last month, Japan said cases of sexual assault in the country involving U.S. forces “cannot be tolerated.”

The Pentagon expressed regret that American soldiers had committed sexual crimes on Japanese soil and said that US Defense Secretary Austin was closely monitoring developments.

– Deployment of US Marines

Regarding the relocation of the U.S. Marines within Okinawa, both sides stressed the “importance of accelerating bilateral work to fully return the Marine Corps Air Base at Futenma as early as possible, including the construction of the Futenma replacement facility at Henoko.”

Despite resistance from the local population, Japan is working to relocate the US military base within Okinawa Province.

​​​​​​​The US base is currently located in a densely populated residential area in Ginowan. Based on an agreement signed in 1996, Tokyo wants to move it to the less populated coastal region of Henoko in Nago.

Okinawa is home to the majority of U.S. military bases in Japan, and locals have long opposed the relocation of the base, calling on the government to move the base out of the province.

The statement added that Japan and the United States had confirmed the transfer of Marine Corps personnel from Okinawa to Guam starting this year.

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