Nearly 5,000 crimes linked to US military in Japan over 37 years: report

A report says nearly 5,000 criminal incidents involving people linked to the US military were recorded in Japan from 1989 to May 2026.

The report, compiled by Japanese newspaper Akahata based on National Police Agency data, covers soldiers, civilian employees and their family members. According to Akahata, nearly half of all the incidents, about 49 percent, occurred in Okinawa Prefecture. Kanagawa accounted for about 18 percent and the capital Tokyo about 9 percent.

During the same period, about 266 serious crimes were recorded nationwide, of which about 129 were in Okinawa, 67 in Kanagawa and 34 in Tokyo.

The report concludes that neither the Japanese nor the US government has been able to take effective steps to address the problem. It also notes that local communities have had to bear a heavy burden because of the presence of the military bases.