Foreign Ministry document reveals that 1000 crimes were committed by U.S. military personnel in the twelve months before the reversion of Okinawa

Foreign Ministry document reveals that 1000 crimes were committed by U.S. military personnel in the twelve months before the reversion of Okinawa

Numbers of violent crimes by U.S. military personnel and prosecution rates from 1964 to 1968.


December 23, 2011 Ryukyu Shimpo

A total of 5367 crimes were committed by U.S. military personnel in the five years from 1964 to 1968 under the U.S. Military Administration of Okinawa. On December 22, a Foreign Ministry document released stated that while 504 violent crimes such as murders, robberies, and rapes were committed, only 33.6% of all the crimes committed actually resulted in prosecution.

According to statistics attached to a confidential report entitled “Civil affairs related basic issues and Okinawa’s reversion” dated January 19, 1970, 973 crimes including 77 violent crimes were committed in Okinawa in 1964. The number of recorded crimes committed there by U.S. military personnel in 2010 was 71, which means that approximately 14 times more crimes were committed in 1970.

The breakdown of violent crimes was 55 robberies (prosecution rate 36.3%), five arsons (40%), and 17 rapes (52.9%) in 1964. In 1966, two murders occurred but they did not lead to prosecution, 101 robberies (37.6%), seven cases of arson (57.1%), and 17 rapes (52.9%).

The report covers the transfer of judiciary proceedings from the U.S. Military Administration to Japanese domestic laws after the reversion of Okinawa.

(English translation by T&CT, Megumi Chibana and Mark Ealey)

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