Decades on, text governing U.S. forces in Japan is yet to be revised
Scrutiny of the Status of Forces Agreement has been renewed after U.S. military personnel were exempted from Japanese COVID-19 measures and areas around U.S. bases saw rises in cases.
Fix structural problems now or face SOFA revision later
The bottom line, however, is that without transparency, accountability and trust, the U.S.-Japan alliance will not enjoy the full support of the public.
SOFA exempts U.S. forces from Japan’s laws, as it does its COVID safety measures
Beyond the issues associated with the U.S. military’s lax COVID-19 containment measures, SOFA has a long history of incidents.
Japanese government cites White House as denying report Trump considered ending defense pact
The report said Trump was unhappy that the alliance does not oblige Tokyo to come to America’s aid even though it guarantees U.S. aid if Japan is attacked.
Look at the SOFA pool of labor
An overlooked pool of potential workers is the dependent population of U.S. military personnel assigned to Japan.
Australian woman renews plea for Japan's government to amend U.S. forces agreement after rape ordeal
An Australian woman who was raped by a U.S. military serviceman more than a decade ago renewed on Thursday her request to Japan's government to amend the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which critics claim allows both countries to evade responsibility for misconduct ...
U.S. unlikely to pay family of woman slain by civilian base worker in Okinawa
The U.S. military appears unlikely to compensate the family of a Japanese woman slain in Okinawa Prefecture in 2016 by a civilian U.S. base worker, it has been learned. In December, Kenneth Shinzato, 34, was sentenced to life in prison by the Naha District Court ...
No one else wants Okinawa's U.S. bases
On Aug. 15, the 72nd anniversary of the Japanese surrender, there was a symposium in Tokyo about changing the Constitution. One of the panelists, documentarian Tatsuya Mori, pointed out that earlier that day Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had given remarks at an annual memorial ...
Bilateral pact limiting U.S. base workers' immunity to be inked next week
Aiming to deter crime, Japan and the United States will sign an agreement next week narrowing the scope of legal immunity granted to U.S. military base workers, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday. The pact will supplement the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), under ...
Japan, U.S. to sign pact limiting SOFA coverage of 'civilian component' base workers
The two sides agree to narrow the scope of base workers provided limited legal immunity under the status of forces agreement.
Japan should renegotiate the Status of Forces Agreement it has with the U.S. so it can have greater jurisdiction over crimes committed by Americans with U.S. military ties.
Japan, U.S. agree to narrow definition of 'civilian component' protected by SOFA
The Japanese and U.S. governments limit the extent to which U.S. military workers are protected under the Status of Forces Agreement in Japan.
