The governor of Okinawa decried reported crimes and alleged sexual assaults by American service members on the island and a lack of transparency from the military during a visit to the U.S. on Tuesday.
Denny Tamaki told a gathering of reporters in Washington, D.C., that the incidents — three in total revealed this summer — have caused great pain to the community. Moreover, Tamaki said his office found out about the majority of those recent cases through media reports, not from the U.S. military.
“We were very, very shocked, because we indirectly knew of this information,” Tamaki said through a translator. “We cannot just leave the training itself to the military side and not know what is going on. And at the same time, we, as Okinawa prefectural government, we need to assure our citizens that we are actually protecting their lives and safety.”
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