TOKYO -- Four teenagers from an American military base in Japan were arrested on charges of attempted murder on Saturday for allegedly toppling a woman riding her motorbike, causing her to suffer a serious head injury. In the August episode, which has received national coverage in Japan, a 23-year-old motorbike rider suffered a fractured skull when she hit rope that the authorities say had been strung across a road by the four teenagers near the Yokota Air Base in Tokyo. The suspects are three boys and a girl, ages 15 to 18, who all are children of United States military personnel. Local police officers arrested them after surveillance videotapes showed them near the site of the crash. One of the teenagers sought help from a passer-by for the injured woman, according to news reports.
TOKYO -- Four teenagers from an American military base in Japan were arrested on charges of attempted murder on Saturday for allegedly toppling a woman riding her motorbike, causing her to suffer a serious head injury.
In the August episode, which has received national coverage in Japan, a 23-year-old motorbike rider suffered a fractured skull when she hit rope that the authorities say had been strung across a road by the four teenagers near the Yokota Air Base in Tokyo.
The suspects are three boys and a girl, ages 15 to 18, who all are children of United States military personnel. Local police officers arrested them after surveillance videotapes showed them near the site of the crash.
One of the teenagers sought help from a passer-by for the injured woman, according to news reports.
From 1952 to 2004, there have been approximately 200,000 accidents and crimes involving U.S. soldiers, in which 1,076 Japanese civilians have died. Over 90% of the incidents were vehicle or traffic related. [10] According to the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement U.S. personnel have partial extraterritorial right, so in most cases suspects were not arrested.[10] In 1995, the abduction and rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan schoolgirl by two U.S. Marines and one U.S. sailor led to demands for the removal of all U.S. military bases in Japan. Other controversial incidents include helicopter crashes, the Girard incident, the Michael Brown Okinawa assault incident, and the death of Yuki Uema. In February 2008, a 38-year-old U.S. Marine based on Okinawa was arrested in connection with the reported rape of a 14-year-old Japanese girl.[11] This triggered waves of protest against American military presence in Okinawa and led to tight restrictions on off-base activities.[12][13] U.S. Forces Japan designated 22 February as a Day of Reflection for all U.S. military facilities in Japan, setting up a Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Task Force in an effort to prevent similar incidents.[14]
