U.S. Marines patrol American Village bars in Chatan, Okinawa, Aug. 2, 2024. (Brian McElhiney/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — U.S. service members will join Japanese police and local officials for the first joint patrol on Okinawa in more than half a century following a series of high-profile criminal cases involving American troops.
The patrol, scheduled for April 18 in Okinawa city, will be the first of its kind on the island since 1974, according to the Okinawa Prefectural Police. It comes in response to public outcry over one convicted and two alleged sexual assault cases involving U.S. service members last year.
The patrol will aim to enhance public safety, according to a U.S. Forces Japan news release Friday.
“By working side-by-side with our Japanese counterparts, we are reinforcing shared standards and contributing to the safety and trust that are essential to the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance,” Lt. Gen. Roger Turner, Okinawa Area Coordinator and commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, said in the release.
The patrol will include U.S. troops, Japanese government officials, Okinawa city leaders and local residents. It will begin at 10 p.m. and last until 2 a.m., focusing on Gate 2 Street, a nightlife district near Kadena Air Base, according to a Friday news release from Okinawa city.
Participants will divide into three groups to cover separate routes through the city, a spokesman with the city’s Base Policy Division said by phone Friday.
More joint patrols are expected to follow, both on Okinawa and across Japan, according to USFJ.
The initiative will be evaluated after the first patrol to determine how to proceed with future efforts, the city spokesman said. Some Japanese government officials may speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.
Calls for joint patrols began last summer under then-USFJ commander Lt. Gen. Ricky Rupp, who also advocated for the creation of a trilateral forum to improve cooperation between U.S., Japanese and Okinawan leaders. Okinawa police at the time balked at the patrols, citing concerns about U.S. military police exercising authority outside their installations.
In October, USFJ imposed new liberty restrictions, barring U.S. troops from off-base drinking establishments between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.
Since July, the Marine Corps has conducted enhanced gate checks on outgoing vehicles, including sobriety checks, at its bases across Japan, Marine Corps Installations Pacific spokesman 1st Lt. Grant Hoel said by email Friday.
Marines have also conducted courtesy patrols on weekends in popular nightlife spots off base.
The patrols follow mounting concerns from Okinawan residents after several criminal cases involving U.S. troops. Senior Airman Brennon R.E. Washington was convicted in December of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a minor in 2023. He was sentenced to five years in prison with labor and has appealed the decision.
Two Marines, Lance Cpls. Jamel Clayton and Michael Hofmaster, face charges in separate cases last year involving attempted and actual sexual assault. Both cases are pending trial in Japan.
In addition to the patrols, USFJ and local officials are working to establish a forum “to foster further dialogue with local stakeholders and facilitate progress on key issues of mutual interest,” according to USFJ’s news release.
“The strength of our alliance lies in close and persistent engagement at all levels,” USFJ Provost Marshal Col. David Mays said in the release. “We appreciate the collaborative spirit that has made this agreement possible.”
Commanders and senior enlisted leaders on Okinawa are expected to participate in the April 18 patrol, USFJ spokeswoman Air Force Maj. Allison Trueblood wrote in an email to Stars and Stripes on Friday.
