Regarding the Feb. 21 letter "Americans shouldn't be surprised": Seriously, does the writer really believe that Korea wouldn't have teamed up with China, the Philippines and other Far East countries to attack Japan to serve revenge for their perceived abuse by the Japanese in past wars?
The U.S. military presence (on Okinawa) is to protect America and her allies, including Japan -- with whom we have established the current security agreement (remember: Japan attacked us in 1941) -- and other countries of the Far East. I agree that we need to respect them as we would want to be respected by the thousands of foreigners that America hosts on her soil. However, that is no reason to ignore the truth. Under the current situation (imposition of tight curfew and other restrictions), why punish all service members, their families and Japanese businesses for the acts of two or three people?
If you think the alleged rapist (involving a 14-year-old girl) will go unpunished, think again. He has already been delivered to the Japanese. No American is protecting him, advocating for him or trying to have his case tried under U.S. law. In fact, if proven guilty, he will be further punished by the U.S. military and then likely receive the worst form of discharge.
An American (in Japan) should not try to separate himself from his military brethren just because he doesn't have the balls to serve his country. I love America, and I love Japan. I am being punished for the acts of a few, and I give my daily respect to the Japanese and my country.