The article "English papers in East Asia bring new perspectives," in the Feb. 23 Weekly, was absolutely correct. Way back in 1995, the gang rape of an Okinawan girl was only correctly reported by Radio Japan (English News) by using the word "rape." JTW was the first to use the word "invasion" regarding the Iraq War staged by U.S. President George W. Bush's administration.

Whenever I go abroad, I buy an English paper and follow what is going on in the host country. Toward the end of December in Thailand we were, for example, provided with day-by-day coverage of the Thai election and its aftermath by The Nation, an English paper.

English goes a long way indeed.

I recently enjoyed Alexander Jacoby's article "We are world's apart in the global village" (Feb. 26.) I am always impressed by his opinions, his wit and humor, and the logical consistency of his arguments. His phrase "in a paradoxical sense (... the) freedom (to travel) might narrow our outlook" gave me a fresh perspective on the world.

In the editorial about the U.S. Marines case in Okinawa (Feb. 23), I wholeheartedly agree with the writer that Japan should have more power to investigate cases involving U.S. military personnel. In addition, Japan should have the authority to punish U.S. troops when Japanese nationals are the victims. Every time such crimes occur, the U.S. military takes preventive measures such as educational programs and curfews, but it still happens. Therefore, it is imperative to take the next step: change the judicial process applied to personnel covered under the Status of Forces Agreement. Fewer military personnel would commit crimes if they did not have the SOFA umbrella to hide under.

Another thing I am concerned about is that the Japanese media has a biased view of U.S. service members in Japan. Not only the local Okinawan media, but also the national broadcasting stations are biased. I am totally disgusted with seeing media coverage that argues the U.S. military in Japan, as a whole, are bad, just because of a few bad apples.

The Japan Times Weekly: March 1, 2008
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