Murder In Yokosuka, USS Kitty Hawk Sailor(s) Kill 56 Y/O Japanese Woman

[NATO AIR]

Shame and shock here... I'm not surprised given some of the knuckleheads we have onboard, but this betrayal of trust is just horrific. And the consequences will be appalling, both for Japanese-US relations and for the already strained shore leave opportunities for the personnel on the ship like myself.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsA...RUKOC_0_US-CRIME-JAPAN-USA.xml&archived=False

US sailor possible suspect in Japan murder case
Thu Jan 5, 2006 3:51 AM ET

By Linda Sieg

TOKYO (Reuters) - A U.S. sailor is a possible suspect in the death of a Japanese woman, which police are investigating as a murder, a U.S. Navy spokesman said on Thursday.

Japan's Kyodo news agency reported that a U.S. sailor had confessed to killing Yoshie Sato, 56, on January 3 in Yokosuka City, where the USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier is based, and that the sailor had been taken into custody by U.S. Naval authorities.

"A U.S. sailor is a possible suspect in the case," Commander John Wallach, director of public affairs for the U.S. Naval Forces Japan, told Reuters. He added that he could not release any further details regarding the case.

The incident comes at a delicate time as Japan and the United States seek to win agreement from local Japanese communities to plans to reorganize U.S. bases as part of Washington's global effort to transform its military into a more flexible force.

"I sincerely regret and am deeply saddened by this absolutely abhorrent incident and promise our complete cooperation with all authorities, particularly those in Yokosuka," Rear Admiral James Kelly, Commander U.S. Naval Forces, said in a statement.

"It reflects on our superb relationship with our host city that we have been able to move so quickly to commence this critical joint investigation," Kelly said, adding that he offered his sincere condolences.

"We are all members of the Yokosuka community and are deeply affected by this tragedy," he said.

DIPLOMATIC HEADACHE

A spokesman for police in Kanagawa prefecture south of Tokyo, where Yokosuka is located, said they were investigating Sato's death as a murder. She was found bleeding and unconscious near a building in Yokosuka and died from internal injuries, he said.

The spokesman said earlier the police would demand the sailor be handed over if the reports of his confession were confirmed.

A U.S.-Japan pact governing the conduct of U.S. military personnel in Japan does not require the transfer of military suspects until they are charged, but Washington has agreed to give favorable consideration to pre-indictment transfers in cases of suspected rape, murder and other "heinous" crimes.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Akira Chiba said Japan was seeking further information about the case, and that it was "premature" to assess any possible impact on the military realignment talks.

Local communities have been resisting the realignment plan out of concern about crime, noise and environmental damage, creating a big diplomatic headache for the two allied countries.

Nearly 50,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed in Japan under the allies' bilateral security treaty.

Politicians and voters in Yokosuka have also expressed opposition to U.S. Navy plans to replace the aging conventionally powered Kitty Hawk with the USS George Washington, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be based in Japan, the only country ever hit by atomic bombs.

The October agreement on relocating U.S. military forces includes the removal of 7,000 of approximately 18,000 U.S. Marines stationed on Okinawa, where the 1995 rape of a schoolgirl by three U.S. servicemen set off huge demonstrations.

 

[pegwinn]

Damn. I was in Oki in 95 right after the rapes. Talk about repercussions. The most amazing thing about life after the service is that apparently civilians don't associate and feel shame when one of thier own does something heinous.

Hang in there. It'll suck, but it'll pass.

 

[NATO AIR]

Damn. I was in Oki in 95 right after the rapes. Talk about repercussions. The most amazing thing about life after the service is that apparently civilians don't associate and feel shame when one of thier own does something heinous.

Hang in there. It'll suck, but it'll pass.

I had to go out in town today to drop off a shipyard employee from the hospital (a professional courtesy to a japanese dock hand who was treated for a vicious stomach flu he had mid-week). After enduring stares from everyone in sight, and seeing two women grab their children and rush into a nearby store away from us..... I'm just as pissed at the senior leadership of the Navy as I am at the coward who beat an elderly woman to death.

These folks kept giving idiots like him slaps on the wrist for crimes that would get them significant jail time in the civilian world. Their poor example only emboldens idiots like him. No matter the liberty restrictions, we'll still have our share who decide its worth it to break the law, until the consequences become so severe they can't stomach it.

But yea, you had it a lot worse back in Oki in 95. How did you all recover from that?

Thanks for the support Pegwinn.

 

[Annie]

Sorry NATO, for the slow response, I hadn't gotten back to email from this afternoon.

I'm sorry that one of your crew mates may have done such a horrendous act. From your outrage, together with Pegwinn's response, I will say that I think we civilians mostly wonder from press accounts whether or not our soldiers, who we do put up on pedastals, are being unjustly accused. You, on the ground so to speak, know the population, police, and more importantly the possible perps and are able to make more educated opinions. I'll follow your lead.

 

[NATO AIR]

Sorry NATO, for the slow response, I hadn't gotten back to email from this afternoon.

I'm sorry that one of your crew mates may have done such a horrendous act. From your outrage, together with Pegwinn's response, I will say that I think we civilians mostly wonder from press accounts whether or not our soldiers, who we do put up on pedastals, are being unjustly accused. You, on the ground so to speak, know the population, police, and more importantly the possible perps and are able to make more educated opinions. I'll follow your lead.

From what I know personally, via the ship, he was new to the ship and in the Air Dept. (the haven of thugs.... i.e. home of most of the gangs on the ship, i.e. the "get money" crew, the "killa krips", etc etc. )

Crap that the chain of command allowed to fester, instead of tracking them all and kicking their ass out of the military.

As for the crime, he showed up at the base front gate with blood all over his clothes, right around the time the poor woman's body was found. And he's apparently now confessed.

 

[CSM]

From what I know personally, via the ship, he was new to the ship and in the Air Dept. (the haven of thugs.... i.e. home of most of the gangs on the ship, i.e. the "get money" crew, the "killa krips", etc etc. )

Crap that the chain of command allowed to fester, instead of tracking them all and kicking their ass out of the military.

As for the crime, he showed up at the base front gate with blood all over his clothes, right around the time the poor woman's body was found. And he's apparently now confessed.

Funny thing is that I heard on the news this morning that he is now a 'possible witness' to the crime. Reportedly, the woman was a victim of a burgulary. Obviously, it is hard to determine from what the media reports whether the kid is guilty of anything at all.

 

[pegwinn]

But yea, you had it a lot worse back in Oki in 95. How did you all recover from that?

Thanks for the support Pegwinn.

I'm not goin to say we had it worse. Our days in town sounded like your own. We wanted to take the Marines aside and give em a blanket party and seriously hoped that they would die in prison. Recover? Oki hasn't. The Marine Corps has to a degree. The civil populace understands that there are animals everywhere. Most of the shock comes when you find them in unexpected places.

The current black eye is the alleged rapes in the Phillipenes.

Support? No worries younger brother.