Okinawans angry with Hashimoto say sex services don't curb crime
Okinawans angry with Hashimoto say sex services don't curb crime
Citing the failure of similar attempts decades earlier, Okinawan residents have criticized Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto's recent suggestion that U.S. military members use legal sex services to curb sexual assaults.
According to public documents, the number of rapes did not decline after "special entertainment districts" were set up for the U.S. military 63 years ago, and local activists say the only solution is to move the bases off Okinawa.
In 1949, Koshin Shikiya, who was then the head of the civilian government in Okinawa that was still under U.S. control, asked U.S. military authorities to create facilities where soldiers and sailors could buy sexual services. Shikiya made the request because of the frequent sexual crimes committed by U.S. military personnel.
Arguing that such facilities were "a realistic social need," the request followed the reasoning that, "If consideration had been given by the military authorities for facilities where young military personnel could satisfy their sexual urges, it might have been possible to prevent these crimes."
In 1950, the civilian government played a leading role in setting up four special entertainment districts, and civilians were allowed to operate brothels aimed at the U.S. military.
In a published history of Ginowan city, local residents described what the situation was like.
"It was very dangerous because there were many foreigners who came to steal women," one man commented. "Special entertainment districts were set up away from residential areas, and we had nothing to do with those districts."
According to Harumi Miyagi, 63, an Okinawan researcher on women's history, however, such districts also failed in their primary purpose.
"There was no decrease in sex crimes even after the districts were established," she said.
In 1995, after U.S. military personnel raped a schoolgirl in Okinawa, Miyagi and others established a group called Okinawa Women Act Against Military Violence. Going through old public documents and personal testimonies, the group compiled annual statistics on sex crimes committed by U.S. military personnel.
According to the latest report, after the special entertainment districts were established in 1950, there was an increase in cases of women working at sex businesses or restaurants being taken away from the districts and raped. Cases of teenagers becoming victims of sex crimes continued.
Violent attacks and sex crimes became more prevalent when Okinawa served as the launching ground for the U.S. military during the Korean War in the early 1950s and the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 70s.
Until 1972, when Okinawa was returned to Japan, about 500 cases of sex crimes were reported. However, that figure is considered to be only the tip of the iceberg as women continue to come forward about crimes committed decades ago.
With such crimes continuing even after Okinawa was returned to Japan, there have been repeated calls to revise the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, which prevents U.S. military personnel from being detained until an indictment is handed down if they evade police and can return to their base. However, so far no such revision has occurred.
"The structural violence that is contained in the military is always directed at those in weak positions, such as women and children," Miyagi said. "In order to fundamentally protect the women of Okinawa, the only argument to be made is that the military and bases are not needed here."
Although Hashimoto has said that the United States should squarely face the issue of the human rights of Okinawans, there are those who feel he does not understand the true plight of the people of Okinawa.
Among them is 73-year-old Suzuyo Takazato, co-leader of Okinawa Women Act Against Military Violence and a former Naha municipal assembly member.
"I don't like him acting as though he is the protector of Okinawa," she said. "I wonder how much he understands the history of pain and suffering involving the military and sex. Because one of the major preconditions for Hashimoto is the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty structure that forces U.S. military bases on Okinawa, all he is doing is discriminating against Okinawa."
LOCAL COMMUNITIES CLEAN UP DIRTY PAST
Hashimoto's comments also come at a time when Okinawa is making strenuous efforts to distance itself from its past links to the sex industry.
About 700 meters from U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan lies an area known as Maehara Shinmachi. In 1950, it became one of the special entertainment districts. Three years later, however, the U.S. military enforced stricter regulations on military personnel about using the district in order to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
After Okinawa was returned to Japan and the anti-prostitution law was enforced, Maehara Shinmachi became a shady sex industry area catering to tourists.
About 100 "establishments" lined both sides of narrow alleys and illegal prostitution was conducted in small rooms set up in each outlet. Police fought a seemingly unending battle against the operators of such businesses, with new shops opening up soon after a police raid shut down others.
However, about four years ago, the Ginowan municipal government began a campaign to clean up the image of the area. Patrols set up with the police and local women's organizations led to a decline in business, which forced many establishments to close.
By last year, the area was rid of all signs of the dirty linen that had tarnished its image.
A 62-year-old woman who operated a bar in the area until a few years ago and who still lives in Maehara Shinmachi, said, "There were many women who worked here because they had debts or children and had to work because they needed the money. They likely have continued to work in the sex industry either in Naha or outside of Okinawa."
Yoichi Iha, 61, was Ginowan mayor when the campaign began.
"Maehara Shinmachi is the negative legacy of the period when Okinawa was under U.S. military rule," he said. "With an eye toward developing a new district after Futenma is relocated, the times did not permit that area to continue to exist."
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This seemed like a really interesting article, looking how the people of Okinawa felt about what Hashimoto said, and a bit of history.
The thing with Hashimoto is still unfolding; just today two former comfort women who were supposed to meet with him today cancelled, saying they basically didn't want to be Hashimoto's insincere photo-op apology (Hashimoto said this was "regrettable"), Hashimoto backpedaled some more and said he wanted to apologize to Americans and American troops for suggesting the US military people in Japan use sex services to curb their appetites so they wouldn't go around raping people, and a group of lawyers in Osaka called for him to be recalled as mayor. Yesterday, a member of his party withdrew their candidacy for an election they were running in, citing what Hashimoto said, and one of the parties the Ishin no Kai had an alliance dissolved their partnership and said they would not help the Ishin no Kai, or accept help from them, in the upcoming elections.
Basically, Hashimoto screwed himself and his party BIG TIME with this.
Citing the failure of similar attempts decades earlier, Okinawan residents have criticized Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto's recent suggestion that U.S. military members use legal sex services to curb sexual assaults.
According to public documents, the number of rapes did not decline after "special entertainment districts" were set up for the U.S. military 63 years ago, and local activists say the only solution is to move the bases off Okinawa.
In 1949, Koshin Shikiya, who was then the head of the civilian government in Okinawa that was still under U.S. control, asked U.S. military authorities to create facilities where soldiers and sailors could buy sexual services. Shikiya made the request because of the frequent sexual crimes committed by U.S. military personnel.
Arguing that such facilities were "a realistic social need," the request followed the reasoning that, "If consideration had been given by the military authorities for facilities where young military personnel could satisfy their sexual urges, it might have been possible to prevent these crimes."
In 1950, the civilian government played a leading role in setting up four special entertainment districts, and civilians were allowed to operate brothels aimed at the U.S. military.
In a published history of Ginowan city, local residents described what the situation was like.
"It was very dangerous because there were many foreigners who came to steal women," one man commented. "Special entertainment districts were set up away from residential areas, and we had nothing to do with those districts."
According to Harumi Miyagi, 63, an Okinawan researcher on women's history, however, such districts also failed in their primary purpose.
"There was no decrease in sex crimes even after the districts were established," she said.
In 1995, after U.S. military personnel raped a schoolgirl in Okinawa, Miyagi and others established a group called Okinawa Women Act Against Military Violence. Going through old public documents and personal testimonies, the group compiled annual statistics on sex crimes committed by U.S. military personnel.
According to the latest report, after the special entertainment districts were established in 1950, there was an increase in cases of women working at sex businesses or restaurants being taken away from the districts and raped. Cases of teenagers becoming victims of sex crimes continued.
Violent attacks and sex crimes became more prevalent when Okinawa served as the launching ground for the U.S. military during the Korean War in the early 1950s and the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 70s.
Until 1972, when Okinawa was returned to Japan, about 500 cases of sex crimes were reported. However, that figure is considered to be only the tip of the iceberg as women continue to come forward about crimes committed decades ago.
With such crimes continuing even after Okinawa was returned to Japan, there have been repeated calls to revise the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, which prevents U.S. military personnel from being detained until an indictment is handed down if they evade police and can return to their base. However, so far no such revision has occurred.
"The structural violence that is contained in the military is always directed at those in weak positions, such as women and children," Miyagi said. "In order to fundamentally protect the women of Okinawa, the only argument to be made is that the military and bases are not needed here."
Although Hashimoto has said that the United States should squarely face the issue of the human rights of Okinawans, there are those who feel he does not understand the true plight of the people of Okinawa.
Among them is 73-year-old Suzuyo Takazato, co-leader of Okinawa Women Act Against Military Violence and a former Naha municipal assembly member.
"I don't like him acting as though he is the protector of Okinawa," she said. "I wonder how much he understands the history of pain and suffering involving the military and sex. Because one of the major preconditions for Hashimoto is the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty structure that forces U.S. military bases on Okinawa, all he is doing is discriminating against Okinawa."
LOCAL COMMUNITIES CLEAN UP DIRTY PAST
Hashimoto's comments also come at a time when Okinawa is making strenuous efforts to distance itself from its past links to the sex industry.
About 700 meters from U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan lies an area known as Maehara Shinmachi. In 1950, it became one of the special entertainment districts. Three years later, however, the U.S. military enforced stricter regulations on military personnel about using the district in order to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
After Okinawa was returned to Japan and the anti-prostitution law was enforced, Maehara Shinmachi became a shady sex industry area catering to tourists.
About 100 "establishments" lined both sides of narrow alleys and illegal prostitution was conducted in small rooms set up in each outlet. Police fought a seemingly unending battle against the operators of such businesses, with new shops opening up soon after a police raid shut down others.
However, about four years ago, the Ginowan municipal government began a campaign to clean up the image of the area. Patrols set up with the police and local women's organizations led to a decline in business, which forced many establishments to close.
By last year, the area was rid of all signs of the dirty linen that had tarnished its image.
A 62-year-old woman who operated a bar in the area until a few years ago and who still lives in Maehara Shinmachi, said, "There were many women who worked here because they had debts or children and had to work because they needed the money. They likely have continued to work in the sex industry either in Naha or outside of Okinawa."
Yoichi Iha, 61, was Ginowan mayor when the campaign began.
"Maehara Shinmachi is the negative legacy of the period when Okinawa was under U.S. military rule," he said. "With an eye toward developing a new district after Futenma is relocated, the times did not permit that area to continue to exist."
--
This seemed like a really interesting article, looking how the people of Okinawa felt about what Hashimoto said, and a bit of history.
The thing with Hashimoto is still unfolding; just today two former comfort women who were supposed to meet with him today cancelled, saying they basically didn't want to be Hashimoto's insincere photo-op apology (Hashimoto said this was "regrettable"), Hashimoto backpedaled some more and said he wanted to apologize to Americans and American troops for suggesting the US military people in Japan use sex services to curb their appetites so they wouldn't go around raping people, and a group of lawyers in Osaka called for him to be recalled as mayor. Yesterday, a member of his party withdrew their candidacy for an election they were running in, citing what Hashimoto said, and one of the parties the Ishin no Kai had an alliance dissolved their partnership and said they would not help the Ishin no Kai, or accept help from them, in the upcoming elections.
Basically, Hashimoto screwed himself and his party BIG TIME with this.