Ruling and opposition lawmakers have criticized the United States for failing to report to Japan about sexual assault cases involving U.S. military personnel in Okinawa Prefecture, calling it a violation of a bilateral agreement.
Meanwhile, the Japanese government has not protested the failure or demanded improvements, saying there was no problem with the U.S. side in not adhering to an agreed-upon reporting procedure because Japanese investigative authorities had made reports to the Foreign Ministry.
Following a gang rape of an Okinawa elementary school girl by three U.S. servicemen in 1995, Tokyo and Washington agreed in March 1997 that the U.S. side would contact the Japanese foreign and defense ministries swiftly if incidents and accidents involving the U.S. Forces Japan occur. However, the United States did not report to Japan sexual assault incidents that occurred last December and this May.
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