- Sputnik International
Asia
Find top stories and features from Asia and the Pacific region. Keep updated on major political stories and analyses from Asia and the Pacific. All you want to know about China, Japan, North and South Korea, India and Pakistan, Southeast Asia and Oceania.

US, Japan Agree on Measures to Monitor US Military Personnel

© AFP 2023US Air Force's new stealth fighters F-22A Raptor (L) are lined up at the Kadena US Air Base, in Kadena town (File)
US Air Force's new stealth fighters F-22A Raptor (L) are lined up at the Kadena US Air Base, in Kadena town (File) - Sputnik International
Subscribe
US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani agreed to enhance monitoring of the US military present in Japan under the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).

The new MV-22 Ospreys are seen at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, Okinawa. - Sputnik International
Asia
Japan PM, Okinawa Governor Agree to Resume Talks on US Base Future
WASHINGTON(Sputnik) — US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter met with Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, and the sides agreed to enhance monitoring of the US military present in Japan under the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), Pentagon said on Saturday.

The 15th Asia Security Summit, or the Shangri-La Dialogue, is currently underway in Singapore, bringing together regional defense officials and Western military officials to discuss the pressing security issues.

"Secretary Carter and Minister Nakatani decided to focus on the following areas: reviewing SOFA implementation practices related to U.S. personnel with SOFA status, including the civilian component; strengthening the monitoring of SOFA status of U.S. personnel, including the civilian component; and enhancing education and training for U.S. personnel with SOFA status," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement.

People protesting the planned relocation of the U.S. military base, to Okinawa's Henoko coast, shout slogans at a rally in front of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's official residence, as a meeting between Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga and Abe is held, in Tokyo in this April 17, 2015 file photo - Sputnik International
Asia
Okinawa Woman’s Murder: Hard to Imagine Worse Situation for Japan-US Ties
The two officials confirmed their intent to develop these measures "at the earliest possible occasion," he added.

In late May, a former US Marine, Kenneth Franklin was arrested on suspicion of stabbing and strangling a 20-year-old Japanese woman near US Kadena Air Base in Okinawa. The woman, Rina Shimabukuro, disappeared on April 28 and was later found dead in a forest. Franklin has reportedly admitted to committing the murder. Shortly following, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at a joint press conference with US President Barack Obama that Japan would implement new measures to protect the people of Okinawa

Carter expressed his regret over the murder, as well as offered his sincere apologies to the family and friends of the deceased. He reaffirmed his commitment to working closely with Government of Japan to prevent incidents in the future.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала