U.S. Marine held on counterfeiting charge in Okinawa

Another U.S. Marine is suspected of committing a crime in Okinawa Prefecture as Japan is stepping up calls for the United States to toughen discipline on its military personnel stationed there, Japanese investigative sources said Tuesday.
U.S. military authorities have detained the Marine in his 20s who is suspected of counterfeiting dozens of $20 notes and passing some of them in Okinawa, the sources said.
Under the Japan-U.S. Status-of-Forces agreement, Japanese authorities will take over custody of the Marine after Japanese prosecutors file an indictment against him. Local police plan to soon send papers on him to prosecutors.
The suspect allegedly used a personal computer and a printer to copy the dollar notes and passed some of the counterfeit ones in Uruma, southern Okinawa Island.
Meanwhile, the municipal assembly in Nago in the central part of the main Okinawa island, where the Marine Corps' Camp Schwab is located, will adopt two resolutions protesting the alleged rape of a Japanese junior high school girl by a 38-year-old Marine staff sergeant and the alleged trespassing into a private residence by another Marine.
In the alleged rape case, Japanese police arrested the Marine based at Camp Courtney on Feb 11 on suspicion of raping the girl in Chatan, southern Okinawa Island. The suspect has denied the allegation.
On Monday, another Marine, aged 21, was arrested on suspicion of trespassing after he was found passed out on a sofa at a private residence in Nago, central Okinawa Island.
Local police also arrested another Marine, 22, on Sunday for drunken driving in the city of Okinawa.
The Nago municipal assembly is expected to unanimously adopt the protest documents that will call on the Japanese and U.S. governments as well as U.S. forces to strengthen discipline of U.S. military personnel, and to consolidate and reduce the presence of the U.S. forces in Okinawa, assembly members said.
On Tuesday, five municipal assemblies in Okinawa Prefecture adopted resolutions of protest against U.S. forces.
Of the 41 municipalities in Okinawa, 28 assemblies will have passed such resolutions of protests, including Nago, which is scheduled to hold a vote Wednesday.
Meanwhile in Tokyo, State Minister Shinya Izumi, who overseas Japanese police forces as chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, urged the United States to assume responsibilities for its troops in Japan.
"I can't understand why a series of such incidents has taken place. I feel it's unpardonable," Izumi said.
At a separate news conference, Fumio Kishida, state minister for Okinawa and Northern Territories affairs, expressed displeasure with the United States, saying he does not think U.S. forces have taken full measures to toughen discipline and prevent a recurrence of misconduct by troops.




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