U.S. Consul General Andrew Ou, second from left, meets with Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki, right, at the prefectural office in Naha, Okinawa, Aug. 21, 2024. (Okinawa prefecture)

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The new U.S. consul general on Okinawa, meeting with the prefecture’s governor this week, said he takes “very seriously” the indictments this year of U.S. service members for alleged sexual assaults, according to a prefectural spokesman.

U.S. Consul General Andrew Ou met Wednesday with Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki, said Nicole Lima Nucelli, spokeswoman for the U.S. Consulate General on Okinawa, by phone Thursday.

“I appreciated the positive and forward-looking nature of the conversation with Governor Tamaki and was heartened to hear him reiterate the importance of the U.S.-Japan Alliance,” Ou told Stars and Stripes by email Thursday. “In addition to continued cooperation between the United States and Okinawa on economic, social, and cultural issues, we discussed exploring new areas of collaboration such as humanitarian assistance/disaster relief.”

The two met at 10 a.m. at the prefectural office, a spokesman from Okinawa’s Peace and Subnational Diplomacy Promotion Division said by phone Thursday. Ou took over as consul general on Aug. 7 from Matthew Dolbow.

“There are complex, heavy issues here,” Ou said at the meeting, according to the spokesman. “So, the issues you raised, I take them very seriously — we all do, the U.S. government. What I can pledge to you is that I will always be honest, always be communicative with you on any issue, even if it’s difficult.”

Tamaki stressed that he wanted to “cooperate to communicate in a daily manner” with the U.S. government, according to the spokesman. He said not all Okinawans are against U.S. bases, and that some service members live off base close to the local community.

“Many locals are aware of that, so that’s why we think that it is extremely important to communicate with the U.S. military or local police to protect the safety and security of the citizens,” he said, according to the spokesman. “At the same time, we think that this is extremely important to keep the security system of Japan and the U.S.”

Some government officials in Japan are required to speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.

Senior Airman Brennon R.E. Washington pleaded not guilty July 12 in Naha District Court to charges of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a minor in December. His trial is scheduled to continue Friday.

Marine Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton was charged in May with attempting to sexually assault a woman in Yomitan.

The indictments led to formal complaints from the prefecture and the Japanese government to the U.S. Embassy and military commands on the island, and a call for changes to the status of forces agreement governing the U.S. military population in Japan.

U.S. Forces Japan commander Lt. Gen. Ricky Rupp announced last month a “new forum of cooperation” with the Japanese and Okinawan governments and community members.

The Marine Corps has increased courtesy patrols in Okinawa’s popular nightlife spots and instituted near-100% outbound sobriety checks at all its Japan installations on weekends in response to the incidents.

Rupp, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel and III Marine Expeditionary Force commander Lt. Gen. Roger Turner have called for consistent liberty policies for all U.S. troops in Japan. But there was no update to those policies as of Thursday, a USFJ spokesman, Air Force Capt. Danny Rangel, said by phone.

Ou has been with the State Department since 2001 and previously served in consulates in Jamaica, South Korea, Hong Kong and China; as political officer at U.S. Embassy Tokyo; and as deputy foreign policy adviser at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.