A Yokosuka based US Navy sailor suspected of killing a Japanese cab driver has now been arrested for the crime:
Japanese police arrested a U.S. sailor Thursday in the stabbing death of a taxi driver near an American naval base outside Tokyo last month, officials said.
A 22-year-old crew member of the Yokosuka-based ship USS Cowpens was arrested on a murder charge after Japan and the U.S. agreed on his handover under a bilateral security pact, a local police official said on condition of anonymity, saying he was not authorized to talk to the media.
The seaman is suspected in the stabbing death of 61-year-old taxi driver Masaaki Takahashi last month in Yokosuka, just south of Tokyo and the site of a U.S. naval base.
The suspect, whose name has not been released by the military, had been in U.S. custody since Navy authorities apprehended him on a desertion charge last month. Kyodo News agency and public broadcaster NHK said police identified him as a Nigerian national serving in the U.S. Navy. [Associated Press]
The sailor’s girlfriend informed police that the knife used in the crime resembles the one missing from her kitchen. This evidence appears to have been enough to get the sailor to confess to the crime. Apparently what caused the sailor to murder the cab driver was that the driver told him his credit card was rejected which led to an argument and the sailor decided to kill the cab driver. This confession does make me wonder why this guy was running around with a kitchen knife in the first place?
Anyway this case will show exactly how the US-Japan SOFA process works. The sailor has now been handed over to Japanese authorities according to the agreement that heinous crimes committed by USFJ personnel will be handed over to Japanese authorities before an indictment. He will be prosecuted in a Japanese court and jailed in a Japanese prison all according to the SOFA agreement. This case will go to show the SOFA process works not that the critics that will surly demagogue this issue care.
So how is the Naval command at Yokosuka reacting to this crime? By taking measures of course to punish everyone on Yokosuka for the action of one lone AWOL sailor:
Alcohol sales at Yokosuka Naval Base halted Wednesday, with employees pulling every bottle, case and six-pack off store shelves.
Signs went up at on-base bars telling customers alcohol was not being served. A flurry of phone calls and e-mails went out telling Yokosuka-based personnel to limit their movements between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The restrictions came as part of period of “heightened sensitivity” to “mourn the March 19 murder” of a taxi driver in Yokosuka, mandated jointly by Commander U.S. Naval Forces Japan and 7th Fleet.
It impacts all Status of Forces Agreement personnel attached to Yokosuka Naval Base and in the associated housing areas of Ikego and Negishi, CNFJ spokesman Cmdr. David Waterman said Wednesday evening. They will be in effect from Wednesday to Monday, when they will be “reviewed,” he said. [Stars & Stripes]
At least Yokosuka isn’t on lockdown yet, so I guess you can make the argument the Naval command at Yokosuka is handling this better then what the leadership on Okinawa did by locking down all the servicemembers and their families after a rape accusation that ultimately led to all charges being dropped against the Marine.
What I find interesting is that none of the measures being taken on Yokosuka now could have prevented the crime that happened. The soldier had been AWOL for weeks, how could banning alcohol and implementing a curfew have prevented that? These new restrictions are clearly just for show to the Japanese public. Servicemembers in Yokosuka will just need to suck it up and be thankful they are not getting the full Okinawa lock down treatment implemented on them.
To conclude I will continue to stress that it is impossible to prevent all crimes from happening with a population like United States Forces Japan that numbers in the tens of thousands. What has to be looked at is the rate of crime compared to the general population and how it is handled. I have shown before that the crime rate for servicemembers in Japan is much lower then the general Japanese population and now everyone is seeing how it is being handled.
However, the demagogues and the anti-US crowd could care less.
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9:06 pm on April 3rd, 2008 1
Maybe the Japanese cab driver tried to cheat the soldier. Are you sure this wasn’t the cab driver’s fault?
9:34 pm on April 3rd, 2008 2
The same logic that the current USFK post-9/11 curfew would have somehow prevented the World Trade Center attacks?
10:00 pm on April 3rd, 2008 3
wonder what’s taking stripes.com so long to post this unfortunate news. its been in the Japanese news for a couple days now.
10:32 pm on April 3rd, 2008 4
Worst part is that it was all pre-coordinated with the City fathers of Yokosuka who agreed to the timing and the conditions. It ia actually pretty benign-except for the curfew part. And if you live out in town-just go to an out of the way 7-11 buy your beer, go home and watch TV. Your point about the enforceability is right on the mark-but this is about show.
11:54 pm on April 3rd, 2008 5
“Maybe the Japanese cab driver tried to cheat the soldier. Are you sure this wasn’t the cab driver’s fault?”
Why do koreans act this way? When an arrogant korean gets stabbed in a fight in Sidney, Koreans demand sympathy but if a Japanese that gets murdered then they have no empathy or sympathy. I wonder why Koreans lack empathy for anybody other then Koreans.
7:42 am on April 4th, 2008 6
Skippy, you know the answer…
I’m with GI Korea… Why was this guy carrying a kitchen knife in a cab?
8:15 am on April 4th, 2008 7
Shattered:
Because it’s symptom #7 of NPD, which is hereditary to Koreans?
12:44 pm on April 4th, 2008 8
What the hell are nigerians doing in the US armed forces?
2:11 pm on April 4th, 2008 9
3:47 pm on April 4th, 2008 10
Equal Opportunity with Jamaicans?
8:34 pm on April 4th, 2008 11
“Mark:
Because it’s symptom #7 of NPD, which is hereditary to Koreans?”
Mark, you need to share that information with everyone. It is a public service. This reminds me of the constant korean group masterbation over fools like “yonsama”.
pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:
(1) has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)
(2) is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
(3) believes that he or she is “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)
(4) requires excessive admiration
(5) has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations
(6) is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends
(7) lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others
(8) is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her
(9) shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes
8:37 pm on April 4th, 2008 12
Shattered, glad I could be of service in providing insights to the Corean psyche.
8:54 pm on April 4th, 2008 13
“What the hell are Nigerians doing in the US armed forces?”
estimated 20,500 “non-U.S. citizens” — dubbed “green-card warriors” — currently serving in the military.
hxxp://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/03/27/greencard.marine.folo/
No offence to GWBush lovers, but this is just one more bad policy from Bush. The Korean FTA and VWP top the list of his bad ideas.
2:34 am on April 5th, 2008 14
DEAR SIR,
I RECEIVED YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION FROM ROKDROP AND I AM MOST ASSURED WE CAN MAKE A CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS TOGETHER AS YOU ARE MOST TRUSTABLE.
LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF. I AM HON. REV. DR. YORUBA OLUWAFUNSO ESQ. AND THE VICE PRESIDENT OF JAILED FOREIGN BASED SAILOR REMITTENCE DIVISION OF FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF NIGERIA. I AM A CHRISTIAN AND HAVE MANY CHILDREN.
RECENTLY A NIGERIAN NATIONAL WAS ARRESTED IN JAPAN FOR A MOST MISFORTUNATE AND BRUTAL MURDER.
http://rokdrop.com/2008/04/03/us-sailor-arrested-for-cab-driver-murder-yokosuka-personnel-restricted/
AS HIS ACCOUNT WITH TWENTY EIGHT MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS (28,000,000USD) IS NOW UNCLAIMED YOU HAVE BEEN DESIGNATED THE BENIFICIARY.
PLEASE SEND YOUR FULL NAME AND CREDIT CARD NUMBER SO WE CAN CREDIT YOUR ACCOUNT. IF YOU SEND ANOTHER CREDIT CARD NUMBER WE CAN ALSO SEND THE BALANCE OF THE TAXI DRIVERS MULTIMILLION DOLLAR ACCOUNT.
I PROPOSE WE SPLIT IT 30% FOR YOU, 60% FOR ME AND 10% FOR ANY INCIDENTAL 2.8 MILLION DOLLAR EXPENSES WE MIGHT HAVE.
GOD BLESS,
HON. REV. DR. YORUBA OLUWAFUNSO ESQ.
2:38 am on April 5th, 2008 15
Mark!
Right on the money! That fits USFK leadership exactly…
…oh, wait. You were talking about Koreans.
Yeah. Maybe them, too.
3:28 am on April 5th, 2008 16
Comment#14 LMFAO!
3:59 am on April 5th, 2008 17
Chickenhead,
#14 was hilarious!
shattered,
Green card holders being allowed to serve in the military has been going on long before George Bush took office.
10:31 am on April 5th, 2008 18
Yeah that shit was funny…..good ass one CH
2:06 pm on April 5th, 2008 19
‘No offence to GWBush lovers, but this is just one more bad policy from Bush.”
This retard ’shattered’ will never realize how stupid he sounds. Clearly a moron with brain of a caveman.
4:53 pm on April 5th, 2008 20
I say it again: The words of “dada”
“Yo GI Korea… I am curious… Just how much money are you gettin paid from the Japs for all your hard work in slandering South Korea? And I am being real serious here.”
Dada, how can a anybody take a racist fool like you seriously?
8:38 pm on April 5th, 2008 21
It turns out he did it, not for robbery, but to satisfy the voices in his head. WoooOOOOOoooo.
Dude. It’s about self control. When my dog tells me to kill, I don’t just run out and do it…
…in fact, I’m trying to convince him how much steak he can eat with all the the money we will make on the road with a talking dog show.
A good question might be… why are we letting foreigners with a history of mental illness into the American military?
12:01 am on April 6th, 2008 22
Shattered,
I am not Korean nor do I have any relations to Koreans except for my 12 month stint at Camp Carroll back in 2004.
But I make my stance against anyone who blabbers his dirty mouth accusing and slandering a group of people without having any rationality and reasoning behind the curse - such as how YOU spread your disease all over this site.
I make my comment against GI Korea if I think he is wrong on his opinion… but you… I have witnessed GI Korea correcting your retarded statements at least a couple of times, but you keep mouth shut like a little lap-dog you are, while puking your freakin guts out on racist comments about Koreans all day long here.
You even go far as quoting one of my old post from some other article… obviously your anti-social life affords you plenty of time to support your mentally twisted racist hobby.
You belong in a mental hospital you sicko!
12:53 am on April 25th, 2008 23
[...] any bets if the Japanese SDF will be hit with curfews, restrictions, and receive extra training about being good citizens? Better yet, who thinks they will be issued [...]
4:06 am on May 26th, 2008 24