crime

Drunk U.S. serviceman arrested for trespassing in private residence

76 Comments

Police said Monday that a U.S. serviceman stationed at the Yokosuka naval base has been arrested for trespassing after he illegally entered the grounds of a private residence while drunk.

Police were quoted by TBS as saying they received a report from a man living in Yokosuka that a stranger was in his garden at around 2 a.m. on Sunday. Police arrived at the scene to find the 20-year-old serviceman inebriated, and arrested him at the scene.

During questioning, the accused was quoted by police as saying he went in because he thought it was his friend's house.

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76 Comments
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I was quite worried for weeks now not earing anything about U.S. serviceman getting arrested for trespassing, stealing, burning, hit and run. At least we know they are still here, ready to rape, steal.... By the way, why are still here ?

-28 ( +11 / -39 )

Guy walks onto wrong property and it makes national news. It's not like he entered the house. You mean if I walk up to someone's door who I don't know, I will get arrested and be on the news? Ridiculous!

12 ( +26 / -14 )

This won't happen if the servicemen was not in Japan.

-20 ( +6 / -26 )

You mean if I walk up to someone's door who I don't know, I will get arrested and be on the news?

Yes and being a foreigner does not help. In a country with few foreigners and few crimes, yes it makes national news. Maybe coming from a country where people shoot each other on a daily basis made you disconneted from what is "normal", and about what is a "crime"...

-20 ( +11 / -31 )

@darknuts, the 20-year-old guy was on someone's private property at 2AM! Yes, call the cops.

7 ( +14 / -7 )

again! Ha Ha Ha,,,,,,

5 ( +7 / -2 )

This drunken idiot wasn't stepping on a guy's lawn, he was in his garden and Japanese gardens are enclosed and well inside a person's comfort zone. Keep them ON BASE.

0 ( +17 / -17 )

What happened to the curfew? Did they lift it? I really don't care if the US military are in Japan, but they have to keep their dogs of war on a leash!

6 ( +12 / -6 )

I thought the commanding general of the US forces in Japan made it clear about over drinking off base for the military here. He'll probably get a captain's mass or worse.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

American military are held to a higher standard and actions like this put shame to their service and their country. It's just news when a foreigner does it. It takes a twisted or sick murder for a Japanese national to the make the national news.

Where is the news of all community service the american military does? Oh thats right, only the negative makes the news. These service members that do these crimes are severely punished, it's just not shown on the news. The only interesting news pertaining to foreigners is crime. When all you hear is crime and negative news what else is there to think.

I'd keep an open mind and consider both sides of the coin. The question of why the U.S. military is here should be obvious.

Besides Abe wants to modify the Japanese constitution, isn't that a step in the right direction in getting U.S. military out?

8 ( +10 / -2 )

JackStern, I think you mean "Captain's MAST", but he may get the mass as well. ;p

2 ( +5 / -3 )

C'mon guys, cut the kid some slack - whilst it is regrettable he got drunk and invaded a property - he is an American hero here to protect Japan from imminent attack from both china and North korea. He is putting his body on the line daily for the vulnerable and innocent japanese.

-8 ( +6 / -14 )

It's just so predictable.

Big incident occurs and US commanders lock down the whole fleet based on the actions of a small minority

Media and public start paying more attention and protest is a daily occurance

Military behave slightly better for a few months and the restrictions are lifted, media gives less attention

Repeat
8 ( +10 / -2 )

Big incident occurs

It's not like this is that big an incident...

7 ( +11 / -4 )

I thought curfew was still in affect. Well he is gonna get punished. It's a shame. I mean he is young and it may be his first time in another country.

I wish the US MIlitary could all leave Japan and come back home. But realistically if the US did that, it would break treaties and other things. Not to mention the host of countries at odds with JP would take advantage of JP's lack of military force.

The point is Japan asked for help protecting their country and The US promised to help.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Tokyobakayaro,

By the way, why are still here?

An excellent question.

They don't want to be here and we don't want them here.

Why ARE they still here?

WWII ended 70 years ago.

-14 ( +3 / -16 )

Al Stewart,

The US military is NOT here to protect Japan.

"It's all about the money."

-15 ( +6 / -20 )

Back on topic please.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Ah Bertie we missed you. Nice to see you show up to complain whenever there is a chance to blast US servicemen. Oh and "We don't want them here" you say? Interesting statement considering you are not even Japanese.

9 ( +15 / -6 )

Its a stupid news article all together, A drunk guy went into someones yard and did nothing. WOW, I can sleep better at night knowing that guy is off the streets. Slow news day apparently, but realistically we all know why the story is here at all.

13 ( +17 / -4 )

Drunk U.S. serviceman arrested for trespassing in private residence

I don't see what the offence is here.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Japanese apologists for the US military say that these incidents happen because after the cold war was over, the military lost its reason for being, and so the morale of the military is extremely low.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

If Japanese were arrested for the dumb stuff they did when drunk you'd have half the population in prison, and if as vehemently vilified as US troops who protect them you'd have a nation of terrorists. The guy was drunk, as hundreds of thousands of Japanese are drunk on any given night, and especially holidays like Golden Week, and went to the wrong place -- it's not an attack or any such thing. If Japan had a law against public indecency that they actually carried out (when it's not a member of SMAP) I'd say slap it on this man. Beyond that, it's no more than your everyday (and I mean EVERY DAY) ojisan taking out his member to pee in public, and worse still.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Considering the lack of street addresses as in the US, not hard to imagine arriving at the wrong house, drunk or sober!

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Lucky people in Japan don't need or have guns. I'm sure this idiot wouldn't do this in the U.S......

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

I'm all for the U.S. army maintaining a lot more discipline, but seriously this guy didn't do anything wrong. He got drunk, he passed out in someone's yard. He may even have done them the favour of fertilizing their flower beds, but beyond that it is a harmless mistake.

Cut the guy a break. He wasn't drunken and disorderly, he was just drunk and lost. If he'd been Japanese the police would have given him a night in the cells, a hot cup of coffee and a friendly slap on the back. This really is a case where the cops are over-reacting simply because of his nationality and occupation.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

He is lucky Japanese people do not own guns, 2 a,m., American gun owners surely shoot him before he enters in a house. If they don't own guns. they call 911 to get him arrested to dump in notorious American jail house to be beaten by other inmates.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

Beyond that, it's no more than your everyday (and I mean EVERY DAY) ojisan taking out his member to pee in public, and worse still.

Ehh... perhaps I missed the part in the article that said he had exposed himself.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Cut the guy a break. He wasn't drunken and disorderly, he was just drunk and lost. If he'd been Japanese the police would have given him a night in the cells, a hot cup of coffee and a friendly slap on the back. This really is a case where the cops are over-reacting simply because of his nationality and occupation.

???? I don't see any "over reaction".

-8 ( +4 / -12 )

toshiko: "Ehh... perhaps I missed the part in the article that said he had exposed himself."

Had he exposed himself it would be the equivalent of the death penalty here, or at least the unlawful sentencing as such by witch hunters. No one said he exposed himself, I merely pointed out that if he were Japanese and pulled out his member to urinate in public during hanami no one would have made quite the fuss. Or do tell me... how many Japanese get arrested for such behaviour during festivals?

Point is, the guy was drunk. Drunk isn't cultural, last I was served. Are you going to tell me a US service person's intoxication is different from the Japanese that do the same thing every day times 10000?

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Certain professions are held at a higher ground so if this was done by teachers, city workers, or police, it would be reported.

Just to add, another U.S. service member was arrested for tresspassing in Okinawa the same day.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

2:00am in the morning...I can see what happened here:

Squid/Jarhead was kick'en back 1 too many brews in the Han-cho. Met the J-Girl at the Bar. Tried his best Wapanese, but she didn't understand and got annoyed. She left the Bar. He followed her home, and tried his Wapanese again at her door. She calls the J-Cops and they took him into custody.

Gee Wiz...thanks a lot Bro.

CNFJ will probably impose "Cinderella Liberty" (Midnight Curfew) and that sucks.

-5 ( +3 / -8 )

Saketown, you seem to have an amazing power of deduction. ALL THAT you figured out from reading this article!? Man, the police force could really utilize your impecable talent of deductive reasoning...you should really give that some thought, seriously.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Yup, It's just about time everyone PACK UP and go back to the USA...then everyone can begin learning to speak either Chinese or Korean.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Funny news stories today...Chinese ships intruding in Japanese waters and US servicemen trespassing in Japanese residences. Japan sovereignty getting threatened everywhere!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

@Smithinjapan,

If Japan had a law against public indecency that they actually carried out (when it's not a member of SMAP) I'd say slap it on this man. Beyond that, it's no more than your everyday (and I mean EVERY DAY) ojisan taking out his member to pee in public, and worse still.

So this sailor was indecent? How, exactly?

toshiko: "Ehh... perhaps I missed the part in the article that said he had exposed himself."

I posted that.

No one said he exposed himself, I merely pointed out that if he were Japanese and pulled out his member to urinate in public during hanami no one would have made quite the fuss.

And yet you want him arrested for public indecency. How on Earth do you expect him to be charged with that if he didn't expose himself?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

While I agree that this is blown way out of proportion (like most incidents by American military in Japan), it's also seems disingenuous to say he did nothing wrong. Trespassing is wrong. I don't think it's really news worthy in this case, but it is still wrong.

Now the article does not make clear how long he was in the garden or what he was doing while he was in the garden, or the layout of the yard and where on the property the garden was. There just isn't enough info here to make a very clear call on this particular incident.

An just to be clear I am talking only about this specific incident, not the broader question of American Military in Japan up to this point. I just have one comment on that issue and that is in response to bertie. Some of us DO want to be in Japan. Try not to paint all our opinions with the same brush.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Erik Rick,

I just have one comment on that issue and that is in response to bertie. Some of us DO want to be in Japan. Try not to paint all our opinions with the same brush.

I apologise. With all general statements, such as the one I made, there are bound to be exceptions. I have no idea how many US servicemen don't want to be in Okinawa. I'm sure there are those who do like to be here and who do make an effort to understand the culture and develop friends off base. At the same time, there are certainly many who are bored stiff here, who rarely go further than Gate 2 and wish they were somewhere else. I say this because of people I've met and comments I've read here and on other sites. In fact, someone (a US serviceman) stated on JT that Okinawa is the most unpopular posting.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Yup, It's just about time everyone PACK UP and go back to the USA...then everyone can begin learning to speak either Chinese or Korean.

I keep seeing this line here and there.

Who dreams this stuff up, I wonder.

What on earth would either China or Korea want with this tiny island?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Guy walks onto wrong property and it makes national news. It's not like he entered the house. You mean if I walk up to someone's door who I don't know, I will get arrested and be on the news? Ridiculous!

Welcome to Japan....

If you're a foreigner in Japan, especially an American YOU WILL...

Are you kidding me... You can get arrested for riding a ten-speed without a license, and spend 10 Days in Jail, that is of course, unless you off yourself first...

But I have absolutely ZERO Percent Sympathy for Drunks, American or Japanese... So he was 100-Percent in the wrong!

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

This won't happen if the servicemen was not in Japan.

It probably would have. Oh and by the way, there is an RAN ship visiting in Yokosuka now, and from what I have seen, some of their sailors have been doing the same thing. Police involvement and arguments among themselves. RAN officials have not placed them on any libety restrictions, since they don't have to follow the US rules. I wonder if JT and the Japanese press will publish any of the incidents that have been going on since they have been here.

Granted, none of them are of major crimes, but then again, this incident isn't either.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Shame on those saying this young man did nothing wrong.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Get real, the US military is here because we can do what the Japanese can't, protect themselves.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Get real, the US military is here because we can do what the Japanese can't, protect themselves.

So it's OK to say the young serviceman (someone trained to 'protect') did nothing wrong in his drunken trespass?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I thought there was a curfew in force?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

20 year old. Yes, any 20-year-old is idiotic when drunk. Could care less he was living on the base, but I'm sure they'll deal with him appropriately.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Al StewartMay. 06, 2013 - 08:44PM JST I thought curfew was still in affect. Well he is gonna get punished. It's a shame. I mean he is young and it may be his first time in another country.

Many people manage to visit foreign countries without passing out drunk in people's gardens, even on their first visit. Besides, and I may be wrong, but I don't think this will end up on his record. Granted I'm a bit surprised this is in the news, there was probably a bit more to it than a drunk guy in a garden

3 ( +3 / -0 )

there was probably a bit more to it than a drunk guy in a garden

@ Magnus Roe: No it isn't. Sources have confirmed it is just what the article says. A drunk guy passed out on someone's yard. No B/E (Breaking and Entereing) or no sexual assualt. Just the brass reacting to what the press puts out.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

An update on revised liberty policy:

Personnel E-5 and below are required to have a liberty buddy after 7 pm and be off the streets by midnight. E-6 and above have no curfew but cannot consume alcohol in public after midnight and require no liberty buddy. Some commands may place further restrictions at their discretion.

As for this guy; it looks like he may fall in the E-5 and below category being he is 20 years old, so he was definitely out past his curfew. Although he may be higher in rank, but I seriously doubt it.

I agree that this is hardly newsworthy. Maybe JT is attempting to spark a bit of “conversation”?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

What's E-5 and E-6?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

To everyone complaining awww give the kid a break. No. There are rules in place. There is still a liberty restriction. No drinking off base. Be back on base by a certain time. These men and woman, my former brothers and sisters took an oath and are failing to uphold it and love up the standards expected of them. And it honestly makes me sick to see so many Americans who are clueless as to want is expected of service members or what military life entails talking about things they know nothing about. Even more sickening when other service members there act that way knowing they are wrong and should be setting a good example to stop actions like this.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Live up to*

0 ( +1 / -1 )

what is it with getting drunk and then breaking into someones place? ...is that like a natural thing to do when drunk? i've never been so i can't understand it.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

What's E-5 and E-6?

The rank of the individual. Ranks go from E-1 - E-9 to O-1 - O-9

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Thanks Brian.

Is the "E" for Enlisted and "O" for Officer?

E - 5 would be, like a corporal?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

American 20 years old is usually tall. The house owner must be scared seeing him on the garden. US Military has not declared the curfew is over.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

What's E-5 and E-6?

Enlisted ranks. In the navy, E-1 is a Seaman Recruit, E-2 a Seaman Apprentice, E-3 a Seaman, and E-4 a Petty Officer 3rd-Class (the start of the non-commissioned officers' ranks). Enlisted ranks go from E-1 to E-9 (Master Chief Petty Officer), followed by the Warrant Officer rank W-1.) After W-1, the ranks are all commissioned officers (W-2 through W-5 and O-1 through O-10).

Depending on the enlistment program the guy signed up under, an 18-year old could come out of the 8-week boot camp as an E3 and skip the whole E1-E2 cycle. By age 20 he could have made Petty Officer 3rd-class.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@darknuts

Guy walks onto wrong property and it makes national news. It's not like he entered the house. You mean if I walk up to someone's door who I don't know, I will get arrested and be on the news? Ridiculous!

I did a quick Google search of Japanese websites and found that this incident was reported by the Asahi Shinbun, Nihon Keizai Shinbun, NHK and other major and minor Japanese-language media outlets. The story made nationwide news, with the Nihon Keizai and others reporting the name of the sailor, his rank, and that he is based on the USS Fitzgerald now moored at Yokosuka base.

Like @darknuts wrote, it is utterly ridiculous that a petty offense like this would make national news, and if there is "more to the story" (as some posters here speculate) then not reporting it is simply very poor journalism.

Beyond mere absurdity in considering this worthy of nationwide coverage, I also see it as journalistic scare mongering in that it fans fears of a "growing foreign menace" among Japanese citizens. Even worse, it is blatantly racist in that the Japanese media does not report on trespassing committed by drunk Japanese nationals, even when on the property of US service men/women or other members of the international community in Japan — despite the fact that incidents of trespassing, breaking and entry, and burglary committed by Japanese nationals are quite common, as I and countless non-Japanese residents who have lived in Japan for a while can attest to first hand.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

bertie, thanks. And with regard to you comment "...many who are bored stiff here, who rarely go further than Gate 2 and wish they were somewhere else." Sad but very true (although I might argue they are bored stiff and wish to go somewhere else BECAUSE they go no further than gate 2).

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If you badmouth foreigners for simply being foreigners & doing the exact same thing that nationals do, then you shouldn't expect any respect when you visit other countries. the guy got drunk & passed out in someone's yard. He didn't rape, or steal.

Meanwhile there were much more serious crimes committed that very same night, throughout Japan, yet most people want to jump on this subject, just to simply badmouth foreigners.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Fadamor,

Thank you for your detailed explanation.

It's now clear.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Mark Elrod,

There is one flaw in your argument.

It's a biggy.

The Japanese who happily trespass on each others property, get blind drunk and pass out on station platforms, etc., were BORN HERE. This is - whether you agree with their actions or not - THEIR HOME.

The US servicemen who who commit various anti-social acts are NOT AT HOME - they are GUESTS, paid for by the JAPANESE GOVERNMENT.

If Japanese troops were based in the U.S.A. - particularly in overcrowded locations similar to Futenma in Okinawa, there would be hell to pay for any action that was out of line.

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

His first words when arrested were: "I'm not as think as you drunk!".

0 ( +0 / -0 )

His first words when arrested were: "I'm not as think as you drunk!"

And the next day he suffered the Wrath of Grapes.

(Apologies to J. Steinbeck.)

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

The Japanese who happily trespass on each others property, get blind drunk and pass out on station platforms, etc., were BORN HERE. This is - whether you agree with their actions or not - THEIR HOME.

The US servicemen who who commit various anti-social acts are NOT AT HOME - they are GUESTS, paid for by the JAPANESE GOVERNMENT.

If Japanese troops were based in the U.S.A. - particularly in overcrowded locations similar to Futenma in Okinawa, there would be hell to pay for any action that was out of line.

And you're missing the 100,000 LBS Elephant in the Room....

Yes, This Drunk was a 100-Percent at Fault - No sympathies, no explanations required... He will get you his, you know what, Hammered...

The Elephant in the Room... Japan has everything today, because of the U.S. Military... Freedom, Democracy, Prosperity... By the Grace of My Forefather's and I, Go Japan... You're Welcome... Enough Said!

Yes, He was wrong, and you can bet, this individual will never see the light of day, outside the gates of his base again in Japan.

End of Story, Don't try to make this out to be the Rape of Nanking, It's NOT...

And Don't forget the Elephant!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@BertieWooster: I have heard Japanese cry foul over discrimination in America. Yet, discrimination against foreigners runs rampant in this country. From reading many our posts, you are one the discriminators.

"BertieWooster," don't go to America & complain if someone acts racist toward you, or discriminates in anyway against you, because to do so would make you a hypocrite.

By the way, my son was born here & his first language is Japanese. Yet, he faces discrimination nearly everyday at school, because he is not Japanese. He was born here yet treated like he doesn't belong. One of his teachers went as far as to say my son's mother language can't be Japanese, because he isn't Japanese, yet is was the first language he learned & he speaks it everyday. Justify that with your homogenous, nationalistic outlook.

Also, your assumption is wring. The service members are paid by the U.S. Department of Defense, not the Japanese government. Also, the bases create jobs for Japanese people.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

The Japanese who happily trespass on each others property, get blind drunk and pass out on station platforms, etc., were BORN HERE. This is - whether you agree with their actions or not - THEIR HOME.

The US servicemen who who commit various anti-social acts are NOT AT HOME - they are GUESTS, paid for by the JAPANESE GOVERNMENT.

Exactly! By the way, if you remove a root of evil, the consequences will disappear. Send American occupants back to USA. Respect yourself.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I think we all now that the criterion for national coverage of a crime is not whether it is a serious crime, but whether it will hit a "hotspot" that will pique peoples interests. "US soldier commits crime" is the hotspot here. It is a hotspot because of the other crimes which have occurred in the past (in the Yokosuka area including burgulary). When I was the headline "Drunk U.S. serviceman arrested for trespassing in private residence", I clicked half dreading to see something much worse described. I expect most of you readers did the same. We might ask why JapanToday posted this headline using "residence" instead of "garden".

Moderator: A garden is part of a residence.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

@technosphere... While I hear what you are saying, I would think the Americans were the lesser of 2 evils that could have befallen Japan. You conveniently lay aside the fact that Japanese would be a dead language by now, since they would all be speaking Russian. Although, Japans hive mentality would have fit right in with communism, it most likely wouldn't have led to the economic resurgence that was possible under American occupation. Let's also not forget, Japan/Nihon would no longer be found on world maps. =) You're welcome!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Mark Elrod,

I don't think you have much idea how much money the government of Japan pays in "protection money" to the US military:

The Democratic Party of Japan-led government announced on December 14 that it agreed with the U.S. government to conclude a new special agreement in order to maintain about 190 billion yen in the annual "sympathy budget" for the stationing of the U.S. forces in Japan. The agreement will be signed in January and be effective for five years. Under the new arrangement, a total of nearly one trillion yen of Japanese citizens' tax money will be poured into the coffers of the U.S. military in Japan. This article points out how absurdly generous the Japanese government is to U.S. servicemen with the use of the "sympathy budget."

It's all about the money.

http://www.japan-press.co.jp/modules/news/index.php?id=1377

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

You conveniently lay aside the fact that Japanese would be a dead language by now, since they would all be speaking Russian. Although, Japans hive mentality would have fit right in with communism, it most likely wouldn't have led to the economic resurgence that was possible under American occupation. Let's also not forget, Japan/Nihon would no longer be found on world maps. =) You're welcome!

History, as a science, operates only with solid facts. History does not know things like "coulda-woulda-shoulda". The alternative history where "Japanese people speak Russian and Japan is wiped out of World Map" belongs to science fiction.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

"at around 2am"

He must have forgotten about the curfew.

@Little Boots - Nah, he'd rather stay and whine.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Mark ElrodMay. 08, 2013 - 02:57PM JST If you badmouth foreigners for simply being foreigners & doing the exact same thing that nationals do, then

There's a general mood in Japan that US Servicemen are acting out of line more often than they ought to, then there's the whole Osprey thing and a slightly Right wing new government. That's why you try to keep your men in order when junior staff makes fools out of themselves that makes the whole military look silly. If Japanese papers even knew his rank someone obviously leaked it or he could even have been in uniform. Additionally military staff stationed in foreign nations are always more exposed because there will always be a percent of the population opposed to their presence. If you put a few thousand armed guys who look nothing like the locals anywhere, everyone will notice what they're doing, especially if it's something bad. Try moving up to Aomori or Sadojima and take a leak on town square, everyone will instantly know who you are, it's not because they hate you but because you stick out like a sore thumb.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@Magnus Roe: I have been living in Japan for more than 11 years. I personally experienced racism & discrimination on a weekly, if not nearly daily, basis while living in Chiba.

There are racist Japanese that still believe that Japanese society should be homogenous.

The thing that bother me is it is a "race" thing. You can be born & raised in Japan, obtain Japanese citizenship, but there are Japanese who are adamant that you cannot call yourself Japanese, because your DNA isn't Japanese.

In America, England & most other western countries, you can be Caucasian, Negroid, Asian, Indian, Hispanic etcetera & openly refer to yourself as American, English, German etc...

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

First of all, thanks to all who leave good comments about AMERICANS or US SERVICE PERSONNEL. Thanks for having a educated / humble approach.

The AMERICAN MILITARY IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE, GIVE IT UP ALREADY! IT IS NOT EVEN A POSSIBILITY THAT AMERICA WILL BE LEAVING.

Now, to all of you foreigners living in Japan with snide comments and hypocritical thinking. You have a right to your opinions as do I, but think a little and learn a bit more before you make your complaints about the US Servicemen. They do read your comments and most just look the other way. I have you know that not every single American Soldier, Marine, Airmen or Sailor are all beasts, animals, drunk asses or whatever non humanly word you choose to describe them as. You have NO CLUE what their mission is in Japan or why they chose to serve. To be honest, most of you have no idea of the sacrifice or what sacrifice really is when it comes to defending a nation and its future. Most of you left your country in need of something better and more. That is why you are in Japan yet you don't see the big picture. Really think about if the US military presence were to vanish completely from the entire Asian area? How fast would your "good life" go away. It was because of the US Military in the first place why more foreigners are even to this day allowed to step in Japan. Take a history class or pick up a book!

The negative news is worldwide not just in Japan. The media has and will continue to exploit the negatives, even more in Japan when it comes to Americans especially. I lived in Japan for a decade as a service member and I will return with open arms by the hundreds soon. You do not see the positives as I saw or heard of from the US Military while I was there. You do not hear of the US military members who volunteer everyday after work to teach the local Japanese elementary kids English. The service members who have saved local Japanese citizens lives while just out and about enjoying their free time. How about when all the bases open up for the annual festivals: Bon Odori, Cherry Blossom, Independence Day, Tomodachi day,. etc. How you most forget, Operation Tomodachi which I was also around for with sleepless nights.

I encourage you next time you see a service member from the USA in Japan, just talk to them and have a conversation. You will see they are also HUMAN just like you and are in Japan to do a job just like you. Some of them even have families like you, some with Japanese spouses. I am sure some of you think that is wrong too right?

I do believe in deeper screenings for US service members who are to come to Japan to serve. I hate every time something like this happens. When a bigger crime does go down like murder, then yes, turn that guy over to the local police because he/she is an embarrassment to the US military just as it is for another foreigner to commit murder in the USA. The screenings need to look into the members childhood atmosphere to see if there is any underlying problems that could show its ugly face.

I never respond or lower myself to react in frustration via blogs when I read things like this. I guess it finally just built up to where I had to give my 2 cents. You all can take it or leave it, but get over the fact that the US Military is going to be in Japan for a long time coming and that not all of us are horrible people and mean to cause problems.

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