U.S. forces and Japanese police held a joint patrol in Okinawa Prefecture for the first time since 1974 on Friday, after a number of sexual assault cases involving U.S. military personnel came to light last year.
The joint patrol was conducted in some busy areas of the city of Okinawa. It was proposed by the United States as a measure to prevent a recurrence of sexual crimes by U.S. military personnel.
While such patrols have been conducted in the past, local police had been cautious about the initiative, as U.S. military personnel generally remain in U.S. custody until formally charged by Japan unless they are arrested at the scene of a crime under the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement.
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