Capster78: I appreciate you being so forgiving of American military in terms of their behavior in Japan. It would be nice if your lenient perspective could be shared by more people. Despite your optimism, I personally don't feel that American military personnel should be excused for their actions. In regards to you saying...
"Most military in japan did not choose to be here, so some of them feel that why should they conform to japanese culture when they are not japanese and they did not choose to be here."
Yes. They didn't choose to be there and being away from their families is tough. However 1) They did choose the lifestyle of being in the military. International travel and integration into foreign culture comes as part of the job. Whether it be in Japan, Australia, or even war stricken deployment zones. A personal code of conduct is expected of the U.S. military and must be upheld as part of the job. There is no exception to this. A person doesn't get waived because they've had a tough week, or are away from their family, or need to unwind. They are responsible to their uniform by upholding to higher standards. 2) All military personnel are adults. Whether male or female. They had to reach a legal adult age or be waived as young as 17 as a consent of adult responsibility, before joining the military. My point being is even if you take away the uniform, they are expected to show a level of maturity. It doesn't matter if Americans are raised to be more casual or relaxed. It is just courtesy and common sense to recognize when you are a guest somewhere and to conduct yourself to better behavior. Even if not, again, acting a fool in public isn't tolerated in America either. If I saw a serviceman stumbling down the street and harassing people (even if in his native country, in this case the topic being about Americans), I would very well make an example out of him. Cause that person is being disrespectful to me, to himself, and to his uniform (and I use the term 'him' out of conversational habit. This conduct applies to uniformed women as well.)
The military does punish its own quite thoroughly and without leniency. So I don't have any complaints about such. My point is only to state that I do not feel that any empathy should be given to the ill behavior that a uniformed service member exhibits. Especially when they're guests in a foreign country. This young man whom is being prosecuted for rape. If he did in fact rape this woman, then I don't care what his race, branch of service, or country of origin is. He should be punished to the full extent of the law. Do I believe the woman invites lewd behavior? Perhaps she does. Yet whether she does or not, no setup, no matter how tempting or misleading, gives permission for rape. Then again, all of this is based on the assumption that a rape did in fact happen. If that young man did not rape that woman, I hope the evidence will do well to clear him of his accusations and that reprimands be made to clear him of the slander he's endured.
By the way. I saved this tidbit of info for last. Yet as far as my background goes, I am in fact a serving member of the USN. I am currently on deployment and will be serving in Japan (hence my interest in this forum) after I am excused from my deployment. So I do speak as a man held to the same standards of uniformed justice. I'm not militant in the idea of being opposed to military members enjoying their time in foreign countries. Actually, I encourage it and appreciate having the opportunity to be able to enjoy foreign cultures. I am one of the first people to get upset with the military when it 'restricts' its members from being able to mingle with the locals and limits their access. I am all for full access, interaction, and great fun. Yet if the woman says no, call it a night and sleep it off. Don't go drinking yourself into a stupor and passing out on the street. Stop lounging in a public fountain and splashing the passerbys. There are places for doing things like that and places for not. Know the difference and don't ruin it for the rest of us. Then discussions about whether the U.S. military should leave or not won't be much of an issue and we can enjoy the opportunites that it permits us for being welcomed.