STORY: News accounts that the Japanese government has "accepted" the judgement and administrative punishment against the USS Greeneville skipper Cmdr. Scott Waddle "are exaggerated," says East Asia expert John Van Sant, Ph.D. The USS Greeneville collided with a Japanese fishing vessel on Feb. 9. Nine Japanese men and boys were killed. The accident was the latest in a string of tragic incidents involving U.S. military personnel and Japanese citizens, which have ended in injury or death. As a result, public anger against the U.S. military has continued to grow in Japan.
WHO: John Van Sant, Ph.D., is the author of "Pacific Pioneers: Japanese Journeys to America and Hawaii," (2000, University of Illinois Press). He is an assistant professor of East Asian history at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
WHAT: "Outrage" and "mockery of justice" are just some of the words being used in Japan in reference to the punishment of Cmdr. Waddle, says Van Sant. "The widespread perception is that the U.S. military doesn't hold its personnel accountable for serious crimes and accidents." Van Sant cites high-profile incidents involving U.S. personnel stationed in Japan in recent years, including the rape of a Japanese schoolgirl in 1995 by three servicemen. Another case involved a drunk driving accident by a U.S. soldier in which two Japanese citizens were killed.
"This is all in addition to the deafening aircraft noise and other everyday problems the citizens of Okinawa endure from the nearby military bases." While local governments in Japan have openly criticized the U.S. military on several occasions, the national government in Tokyo has usually been hesitant to publicly criticize the United States because of the overall importance of Japan-U.S. economic and military relations, says Van Sant.
CALL: For more information, call Gail Short, UAB Media Relations, 205-934-8931 or e-mail at [email protected].
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