Politicians in Okinawa are proposing Status of Forces Agreement changes that would treat all USFJ personnel living off post as sex offenders:

If you live off base in Japan, the country’s leading opposition parties want to know who you are and where you live.

If they get their way, all Americans living outside the base gates under the bilateral Status of Forces Agreement would have to file as aliens at town and city offices.

The Democratic Party of Japan drew up a proposal to revise the SOFA in coordination with the Social Democratic Party and People’s New Party. It stems from outrage over an alleged rape on Okinawa on Feb. 10 involving a 38-year-old Marine staff sergeant and a 14-year-old Okinawa girl, party officials said Friday. [Stars & Stripes]

What is ironic about this is that the Japanese police investigated the alleged rape and charges were dropped against the Marine.  So because of an incident that didn’t happen Japanese politicians want to have USFJ personnel register where they live off post just like sex offenders in America have to register where they live.  What is further ironic about this is that even if the Marine did rape the 14 year old girl, registering where he lived would have done nothing to prevent it. 

Here is the logic the politicians proposing this use to support their plan:

Shimoji said he’d like to have all SOFA-status personnel with families live in the surrounding communities, so they can appreciate the culture, and all single servicemembers live on the bases.

“People want to know who their neighbors are and where they work,” he said. “Living and becoming part of the local community will help to deepen (mutual) understanding and friendship … which will subsequently help to prevent problems and offenses from happening.”

He believes it is the single SOFA personnel who cause the problems.

The only culture SOFA status personnel will appreciate is that they are being treated as if they are sex offenders.  The neighbors of the Marine involved in the alleged rape all knew who he was and was surprised when the allegations were lodged against him.  Once again this plan does nothing to prevent incidents from happening and is nothing more then political grandstanding and demagoguery. 

Maybe Okinawans should register where they live since they commit more crimes per capita then USFJ personnel do. 

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