UPDATE: In the event any of the locals in Yokosuka are planning on using this recent water leak as fuel to some of their upcoming protests, I’d like to direct them to this Associated Press report, which tells how a last month a nuclear power plant IN YOKOSUKA spilled some Uranium…now I don’t need [...]
Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral Gary Roughead, or Supreme Command of the Navy (SCOTN) as he’s referred to in Japan, recently appeared on a Japanese television news program to discuss the US Navy’s global mission, as well as its mission in the western Pacific region. I’ve been saying for a while that I just [...]
The Japanese held another protest against the upcoming arrival of the USS George Washington (CVN 73) today. I wasn’t there, but they’re all the same. The gather by the local mall, then march down to the main gate. Unfortunately for them, the main gate is closed to all auto and pedestrian traffic, so no one [...]
Stripes is running a story about human trafficking in Okinawa. A few years ago, after stories about rampant sex trafficking around Korean military bases were published, the US military has tried to take steps to distance itself from such activity. For one, George Bush signed an executive order making solicitation of prostitutes a crime, and [...]
Someone e-mailed me a PowerPoint presentation created by CNFJ, detailing recent incidents involving US Navy Sailors, and the punishments handed out by the Japanese government. There were some things I haven’t even heard about, and most of the consequences were pretty surprising. I think if there’s ever a deterrent to Sailors acting like drunken fools [...]
Today I received an e-mail which had an attachment of a new Personnel Qualification Standard (PQS) for being a “liberty buddy.” Whenever pulling into a port, all Sailors have to go out with at least one other Sailor, who is their liberty buddy, to make sure everyone gets back to the boat safe and sound. [...]
Yes, it’s another post where everyone is going to think I’m pissed off and in the mood to sulk and whine. I’ve actually been meaning to write this post for a long time, usually after every day where I’m driving home just gritting my teeth because of an encounter with one of the following things [...]
UPDATE: The Stars and Stripes’ Chris Fowler has a good article on the MCPON visit, with additional questions and more in depth answers.
Joe R. Campa Jr., the 11th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) paid a visit to Fleet Activities Yokosuka on Thursday. The previous day, we were all told we’d [...]
UPDATE: Stars & Stripes has an article out about Kenny’s MySpace as well. As expected, no mention of where they got their idea for such an article, or of D-San , the guy who brought it to everyone’s attention.
Just an update for historical purposes. D-San points us all to Olatunbosun Ugbogu’s MySpace page found here. [...]
I apologize for not posting in a while, but my blog has been under a little scrutiny from CTF70 lately, and I’ve had to mind my Ps & Qs as much as possible while I was underway. Now that I’m back, however, let’s rock and roll.
So, I know it’s widely known now that another [...]
The Sailor who was wanted as a person of interest in the slaying of a Japanese taxi driver, in Yokosuka on March 20th, is now in US Military custody after being arrested in Tokyo. The Sailor had been on an unauthorized absence (UA) (the Navy equivalent to AWOL) for nearly a month, and was already [...]
From the STARS & STRIPES:
Navy seeking Yokosuka sailor after stabbing
Officials: American not a suspect in death of Japanese taxi driver
By Allison Batdorff, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, March 22, 2008
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — A Yokosuka-based sailor is being sought for questioning in connection with the Wednesday night stabbing death of a Japanese taxi driver [...]
When I was first told that I would be going to Japan, everyone started telling me how I was going to be married within a few days of arriving. Despite my assurance that I wouldn’t be, everyone insisted I was wrong. My supervisor at the time even reminisced about young Sailors she worked with in [...]
It’s official, the “period of reflection” is over. Thanks Vox, you helped me have the story before S& S
Military members in Okinawa still some have restrictions, but they aren’t too bad. All restrictions for civilians have been completely lifted, while a curfew of 10PM to 5AM has been imposed on the US military. [...]
Voxman, a regular reader and commenter on this site, just posted a comment in which he claims to have a source that confirmed the restrictions, on US military and SOFA personnel in Okinawa, will be lifted Tuesday morning, 04 March. From the comment:
VoXman wrote:
I cannot reveal my source, but the lockdown will be over in [...]
Screw all the protests. Screw all the blog and forum posts stereotyping US service members in Japan as monsters. Screw every senior US leader who got on their knees to kiss the asses of the Japanese people. And a very special screw you to the Japanese media and public who completely overlooked the daily occurrences [...]
Yes, I know this is the coolest title I’ve had for any entry yet. I saw this video on YouTube a few days ago, but since the Navy is super lame and blocks it, I’ve uploaded it to DailyMotion for all to see. The video, originally titled “Night Stalkers in Japan,” is an Australian [...]
Here’s another fine example of the hypocrisy of Okinawa’s Japanese community. An alleged rape by a US Marine causes such an uproar in the community that protests are held to demand the removal of all US military personnel. The local media has a field day and doesn’t even bother mentioning the suspect being presumed innocent [...]
USFJ: Troops Commit Less Crimes Than Japanese.
Three cheers for Commander of US Forces Japan, Air Force Lt. General Rice. Mr. Rice stated the obvious, as I’ve been doing for a while, that US troops stationed in Japan commit much fewer crimes, on average, than the Japanese. Sure, I know the fact that we commit fewer crimes, doesn’t make it any [...]