Marines with III Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Corps Installations Pacific verify liberty documents at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, July 19, 2024. (Megan Roses/U.S. Marine Corps)
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — U.S. Forces Japan and the Japanese government are planning a “new forum of cooperation” with Okinawa’s leaders and community members in response to two U.S. service members’ recent indictments on sexual assault charges.
The forum will “serve as a venue for the constructive exchange of ideas in the pursuit of shared goals,” USFJ commander Lt. Gen. Ricky Rupp said in a statement posted on USFJ’s website and social media accounts Monday evening.
“Recently, there have been allegations of misconduct that stand in opposition to who we are, what we stand for, and our commitments to the U.S.-Japan Alliance,” he wrote. “These incidents overshadow the friendship and professionalism we exhibit daily and do not reflect the intentions or actions of the preponderance of U.S. service members who serve honorably in this country.”
The forum will aim to “foster productive dialog between U.S. forces leadership and local communities in Okinawa,” USFJ spokeswoman Lt. Col. Mindy Yu told Stars and Stripes in an email Tuesday.
“At this time, the structure and composition of the forum is still in the early stages of discussions with the Government of Japan,” she wrote.
Details on the forum are yet to be determined, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a news conference Tuesday.
“We will fully cooperate to facilitate a constructive exchange of ideas with the local community to achieve bilaterally shared goals, including the prevention of crimes and accidents involving U.S. service members and their civilian components,” he said.
Rupp said he is meeting this week on Okinawa with U.S. commanders and service members to reinforce his expectations and to “solicit feedback.”
USFJ is reviewing current liberty policies “with the aim of fostering consistent policies across U.S. forces in Okinawa,” the post states.
“Lt. Gen. Rupp is traveling to Okinawa and other regions in Japan this week to meet with component leaders, installation commanders and service members to assess possible updates to ensure service members maintain the high standards expected of them,” Yu wrote in her email.
III Marine Expeditionary Force acknowledged questions emailed by Stars and Stripes but had not responded by close of business Tuesday.
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. Marine Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton was charged with attempting to sexually assault a woman in Yomitan village in May. Both indictments were revealed in June.
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki praised the proposed forum in a post on X, saying it “is a sign that [U.S. Forces Japan] is working seriously to prevent the recurrence of these incidents.”
The Marine Corps has increased police patrols of popular areas on the island, and these will soon include “dual patrols with Japanese police in Okinawa,” Rupp wrote.
The Marines also increased sobriety checks for outgoing vehicles at its installations in Japan to near-100% the past two weekends. Discussions about whether these checks will continue indefinitely are ongoing, Marine Corps Installations Pacific spokesman Capt. Brett Dornhege-Lazaroff said by phone Tuesday.
Tamaki on X said his government will “demand that these new measures be more effective in preventing further incidents” following recent reports of U.S. service member DUIs in Japanese media.
Two formal letters of protest and petition were delivered by an Okinawa Prefectural Assembly delegation to the U.S. Embassy, Japanese Cabinet Secretariat, Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Foreign Affairs during a visit to Tokyo on Friday.
