Col. Richard Rusnok, far left, commander of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, talks with a bar owner during a joint patrol of Iwakuni city, Dec. 8, 2023. (Jonathan Snyder/Stars and Stripes)
IWAKUNI CITY, Japan — American and Japanese commanders at a Marine base near Hiroshima recently took to the streets to demonstrate, they said, a shared commitment to keeping the peace in their communities.
The commander of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Col. Richard Rusnok, patrolled nightlife areas popular with service members on Dec. 8 with Rear Adm. Takuhiro Hiragi, commander of Fleet Air Wing 31 of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
They were joined by Iwakuni Mayor Yoshihiko Fukuda and officials from the Chugoku-Shikoku Defense Bureau and Yamaguchi prefecture.
Recent incidents involving U.S. citizens affiliated with the military — including drunken driving, car theft and assault — have raised concerns over further misconduct from the air station.
Japanese prosecutors on Nov. 24 indicted Lance Cpl. Manuel Gomez, 21, a motor vehicle operator, on charges he punched and injured an elderly Japanese woman earlier that month in Iwakuni. Another U.S. service member was reportedly involved in a fight with a 67-year-old man following a break-in at a store in the city on Nov. 18.
“Any incidents that create any kind of friction between the American and Japanese community is anathema to our values,” Rusnok said at a post-patrol press briefing. “And we cooperate fully in any investigation with the appropriate authorities that are involved.”
U.S. and Japanese officials visit local business during a joint patrol of Iwakuni city, Japan, Dec. 8, 2023. (Jonathan Snyder/Stars and Stripes)
This week, the commander of Marine forces in Japan ordered a liberty policy update following the rise in misconduct allegations.
The revamp, drafted Monday by Lt. Gen. James Bierman Jr., requires sergeants and below to carry tiered liberty cards while enjoying free time off base. Corporals and below must have a liberty buddy with them if they plan to consume alcohol anywhere other than a U.S. military base.
The American and Japanese communities share similar values, Rusnok said at the briefing.
“We have the same desire in the end-state, which is a safe, secure community where we can raise our children, where we can conduct business and where we can share our cultures together in the ways that we do very effectively every day,” he said.
Col. Richard Rusnok, commander of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, visits a local business during a joint patrol of Iwakuni city, Dec. 8, 2023. (Jonathan Snyder/Stars and Stripes)
MCAS Iwakuni has put military members in uniform who are on weekend courtesy patrols in the Kawashimo and Marifu areas of the city, Rusnok said.
“The last several weeks, we have instituted an enhanced courtesy patrol in Iwakuni city and it will not be uncommon for citizens to see us in the very uniform I’m wearing tonight, out here demonstrating our commitment to this community to the safety and security and the appropriate behavior of our citizens in the community,” he said.
Stars and Stripes reporter Hana Kusumoto contributed to this report.
