Navy Lieutenant Ridge Alkonis: American in Japanese Prison (1 Viewer)

[El Caliente]

Has anyone else been following story of Navy Lieutenant Ridge Alkonis? I have now heard about it a handful of times this week alone here in San Diego, and I would be kind of surprised if it isn’t a bigger story (and I’m just not hearing more about it as I am on vacation).

Alkonis, his wife and their three kids were returning from a hiking trip in Mt. Fuji when altitude sickness stuck him and he lost consciousness and the car slammed against three pedestrians (killing two).

He was picked up by the police, and was held for 26 days before he was formally charged (human rights dictates you can only be held for 23 days). His family has collected the $1.6M for restitution (as is the Japanese custom), however it is not enough as now he is set to start his three year stay in a Japanese prison.

What a tragic story for the families of the deceased, as well as for Alkonis’.

U.S. Navy officer facing 3 years in jail for deadly car crash in Japan

Lt. Ridge Alkonis' wife is "really angry" about the sentence that will separate her children from their father.

www.cbsnews.com

Underneath this story however is apparently a resentment that the Japanese have for American occupancy, and this is being viewed as an example of that resentment. I had no idea that the Japanese had such feelings towards the US (I always thought that after the dropping of the A Bombs they viewed us as friends if not allies).

Rape on Okinawa stirs old anger against U.S. military

Arrest of 24-year-old seaman for allegedly raping a 40-year-old Japanese woman as she slept leads to official protests

www.cbsnews.com

Is anyone else following this story, or care to comment on the Japanese resentment toward US forces in Japan?

 

[Semper]

Yeah I imagine they resent us. Easier for us to forgive since we kicked there coward arses.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Was ultra mega Goliath size the only brush available to y’all

 

[Maxp]

They are just jealous of our "huge American penis."

 

[superchuck500]

Nearly 80% of Japanese think Okinawa's base-hosting burden unfair

The nationwide poll found that 58% of respondents supported transferring some of the U.S. military facilities outside of the prefecture.

www.japantimes.co.jp

 

[Rickboy]

I was stationed at Camp Zama, Japan (near Tokyo) for two years and met my wife there. There is A LOT of resentment in Okinawa, mostly because the Marines can’t keep their act together. Back in the 90’s it wasn’t nearly as bad on the mainland. But there were incidents such as a Marine getting drunk and passing out in the home of a Japanese family. Rape’s have always been an issue. Deaths, rape, and criminal activity in general are much rarer in Japan than in the US. Something like this becomes national news and draws considerable outrage. It doesn’t help that Japan is pretty xenophobic and flat out racist.

Back then there was a push for a renegotiation of the SOFA which now means service members will serve time in Japanese prisons. It does seem the Japanese violated some of the terms of the SOFA in this case but I’m honestly buying the LT’s story. Also, in Japan, if you hit pedestrians, you are almost automatically at fault.

Another bit of Japanese resentment are these very large US military bases that take up a lot of land in a place where land is limited. Camp Zama was supposed to be closed after 2001 but 9/11 changed things and a major command was moved there. Then there is Sagami Depot and Sagamihara housing. These take up lots of land. There are many other bases on the mainland but it’s even worse in Okinawa. So there are a lot of very vocal people that really do want the US Military gone. The Japanese government, however is much more prudent in the matter.

 

[Rickboy]

Nearly 80% of Japanese think Okinawa's base-hosting burden unfair

The nationwide poll found that 58% of respondents supported transferring some of the U.S. military facilities outside of the prefecture.

www.japantimes.co.jp

I’d day it’s higher than 80%.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

I was stationed at Camp Zama, Japan (near Tokyo) for two years and met my wife there. There is A LOT of resentment in Okinawa, mostly because the Marines can’t keep their act together. Back in the 90’s it wasn’t nearly as bad on the mainland. But there were incidents such as a Marine getting drunk and passing out in the home of a Japanese family. Rape’s have always been an issue. Deaths, rape, and criminal activity in general are much rarer in Japan than in the US. Something like this becomes national news and draws considerable outrage. It doesn’t help that Japan is pretty xenophobic and flat out racist.

Back then there was a push for a renegotiation of the SOFA which now means service members will serve time in Japanese prisons. It does seem the Japanese violated some of the terms of the SOFA in this case but I’m honestly buying the LT’s story. Also, in Japan, if you hit pedestrians, you are almost automatically at fault.

Another bit of Japanese resentment are these very large US military bases that take up a lot of land in a place where land is limited. Camp Zama was supposed to be closed after 2001 but 9/11 changed things and a major command was moved there. Then there is Sagami Depot and Sagamihara housing. These take up lots of land. There are many other bases on the mainland but it’s even worse in Okinawa. So there are a lot of very vocal people that really do want the US Military gone. The Japanese government, however is much more prudent in the matter.

When I was touring the only place I felt unwelcome was Madrid - Madrid felt like what everyone was warning me Paris would be like for Americans (Paris was great)
Waiters and shop keepers were incredibly rude once they heard the American accent
Come to find out we were staying near the university and the locals predominant experience with Americans were the kids studying abroad for a year - those kids obviously act a fool on the streets of Madrid
Once the waiters et al found out that we were a performance group and not students, they chilled considerably

 

[El Caliente]

This has always been one of my favorite songs, however it wasn’t until recently that I understood what it was about.

Oddly enough the first time I heard it I was at a mall in Beijing.

 

[Sailorsaint]

I was stationed at Camp Zama, Japan (near Tokyo) for two years and met my wife there. There is A LOT of resentment in Okinawa, mostly because the Marines can’t keep their act together. Back in the 90’s it wasn’t nearly as bad on the mainland. But there were incidents such as a Marine getting drunk and passing out in the home of a Japanese family. Rape’s have always been an issue. Deaths, rape, and criminal activity in general are much rarer in Japan than in the US. Something like this becomes national news and draws considerable outrage. It doesn’t help that Japan is pretty xenophobic and flat out racist.

Back then there was a push for a renegotiation of the SOFA which now means service members will serve time in Japanese prisons. It does seem the Japanese violated some of the terms of the SOFA in this case but I’m honestly buying the LT’s story. Also, in Japan, if you hit pedestrians, you are almost automatically at fault.

Another bit of Japanese resentment are these very large US military bases that take up a lot of land in a place where land is limited. Camp Zama was supposed to be closed after 2001 but 9/11 changed things and a major command was moved there. Then there is Sagami Depot and Sagamihara housing. These take up lots of land. There are many other bases on the mainland but it’s even worse in Okinawa. So there are a lot of very vocal people that really do want the US Military gone. The Japanese government, however is much more prudent in the matter.

The only place I've been in Japan is Yokosuka, late 80s early 90s. I never got a bad vibe from the local population though.

 

[boutrous]

Maybe I'm missing something. He's only getting 3 years for killing 2 people. Hardly seems like a great injustice to me, but maybe there are facts I'm missing. I don't know if he had doctors testify in his defense about altitude sickness or not.

 

[DCSaints_Fan]

Japanese prison probably better than American prison.

Except for their death row - I've read about it and its pretty screwed up.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Japanese prison probably better than American prison.

probably better than 50% of American housing
Have you seen Swedish prisons? My retirement plan is if my wife leaves me in 10 years I’m going to Sweden for a crime spree, get thrown in prison and set for life

 

[El Caliente]

Maybe I'm missing something. He's only getting 3 years for killing 2 people. Hardly seems like a great injustice to me, but maybe there are facts I'm missing. I don't know if he had doctors testify in his defense about altitude sickness or not.

Yeah, there’s a bit more to it all. He got sudden altitude sickness, and passed out (his family tried waking him up to no success). Doctors have come forward explaining how sudden and unexpected passing out from elevation change. The court on the other hand says that he fell asleep behind the wheel (dismissing that he lost consciousness).

Between that, and the Japanese court system leveling a harsher penalty (due to who he is and who he works for), there is also the issue of Japan not abiding by Status of Forces Agreement (SoFA) with holding him for 26 days in solitary confinement. The SoFA is designed for allied nations to lay judgment on armed forces when things get bad while deployed in other nations (someone correct me if I am wrong, I am going off of what I have just read).

The startling case of Ridge Alkonis

This respected family man, Navy officer and Latter-day Saint is now in a Japanese prison as his family and U.S. lawmakers seek his release

www.deseret.com

The entire thing sucks. Might be time for Joe Biden and Blinken to step in.

 

[Goatman Saint]

So he killed two, injured a third, and now is complaining that he needs to serve three years on essentially 2 cases of manslaughter? That seems reasonable to me