In a case that has stirred public outrage and renewed scrutiny of the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), a U.S. Navy serviceman assigned to Yokosuka Naval Base severely injured 4 civilians in Zushi City, Kanagawa Prefecture, in 2022. The incident, involving 31-year-old Petty Officer Second Class, unfolded when he violently barreled into pedestrians on the road.
Here’s precisely what occurred based mostly on the reviews:
- In July 2022, in Zushi City, the sailor, shirtless, charged at and barreled into 4 pedestrians one after one other, inflicting critical and minor accidents.
- One girl was shoved from behind, fell face-first onto the bottom, and fractured the orbital flooring of her eye socket in addition to each arms.
- Witnesses and a person who tried to cease him mentioned the sailor appeared wild, aggressive, and had dilated pupils, suggesting he was both drunk, excessive, or in any other case in a mentally altered state.
- After attacking folks, he fled however was cornered at a practice station platform.
- Despite the seriousness of the accidents inflicted—together with bone fractures and long-term neurological injury—the serviceman was neither arrested on the scene nor detained thereafter.
Footage obtained by Japanese media confirmed the sailor surrounded by police at a practice station however notably with out handcuffs. He voluntarily accompanied officers to a police station however refused to endure alcohol and drug testing and was allowed to return dwelling by taxi. The state of affairs highlighted the controversial protections offered to U.S. navy personnel beneath SOFA, significantly concerning pre-indictment custody selections.
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
Initially, the serviceman claimed he was “insane under the influence of alcohol” on the time of the assault, pleading not responsible to prices of bodily damage. Nevertheless, in September 2024, he was discovered responsible and acquired a sentence of two years and 4 months in jail, suspended for 4 years—a verdict now finalized.
Today, the Yokohama District Court dominated on the civil lawsuit introduced by the 4 victims, ordering the sailor to pay greater than 16 million yen (roughly $105,000) in damages. The court docket acknowledged the severity of the accidents and the continued struggling endured by the victims, significantly one girl who continues to expertise power numbness and lack of grip energy from her accidents.
Complications and Return to the U.S.
Complicating issues, it was revealed that simply earlier than the civil verdict, the sailor had been reassigned and returned to the United States. This relocation raises important hurdles in imposing the court-ordered compensation. Under regular circumstances, asset seizure may very well be employed to get better unpaid damages, however cross-border problems could now render this extraordinarily troublesome.
Attorney Masahiko Goto, representing the victims, expressed frustration, stating that that they had formally requested that authorities forestall the serviceman’s departure till his authorized obligations in Japan had been fulfilled—a request that was finally ignored.
Victims at the moment are continuing with a secondary compensation declare course of by means of the U.S. authorities beneath SOFA provisions. To date, the serviceman has provided no apology to these he injured.
Broader Context and Public Reaction
This case is the newest in a collection of incidents involving U.S. navy personnel abroad which have fueled native resentment. Similar episodes—such because the Ridge Alkonis case in Japan and the Cavalese cable automotive catastrophe involving U.S. Marines in Italy—underscore a persistent notion that American servicemen are sometimes shielded from full accountability overseas.
Critics argue that the SOFA preparations allow unequal remedy beneath native legal guidelines, permitting U.S. navy members to evade speedy detention or extra extreme penalties. Online commentators have broadly condemned the case, with many stating that ¥16 million appeared an insufficient reparation given the victims’ struggling. The sentiment that U.S. forces act with impunity in host international locations stays a extremely contentious difficulty, significantly in areas closely impacted by navy base operations.