u/TorLam in the videos that you posted which showed a black civilian, presumably, US citizen (named as former Captain Karen El) being thrown to the ground and forcibly arrested in a public place by US military police(?) and subsequently released. Where exactly did this happen? What were the circumstances that led to his arrest.
I’m assuming that this was under a “temporary security hold” which is applicable in:
* Suspected or observed base trespass.
* Immediate threats to base security (weapons, violence, obstruction, sabotage, emergency force protection)
* Situations directly involving U.S. personnel, property, or official operations, when urgent protection is required.
Even then, it does not derive from Japanese criminal law, and it does not grant investigative or arrest powers over civilians beyond immediate safety restraint and identity capture and is only justified when the person:
* Crosses or attempts to cross restricted entry points without authorization, or climbs fences/enters secured zones.
* Triggers immediate force-protection protocols (e.g., alarms, detection sensors, armed response conditions).
* Is observed committing an act that imminently endangers the base or U.S. personnel (e.g., brandishing weapons, attacking guards, blocking gates, attempting sabotage).
Mere suspicion of an ordinary crime not impacting the base is not sufficient for MPs to detain. That falls entirely to Japanese police. Even identifying yourself off base to MPs is voluntary and also on base too if you have done nothing to warrant a “temporary security hold”. Though, I wouldn’t recommend trying that.
I’m a total outsider, so none of the above is guaranteed to be correct or true. It’s just what I assessed from the situation.
Would love to see what led up to this situation.
Even in the worst case scenario where the American guy (a retired Captain according to the FaceBook post) did absolutely nothing wrong this whole thing could have been avoided by taking 30 seconds to pull out his retired ID to show he isn’t active duty.
If he’s still SOFA at all (like working on base, or married to active duty) he’s probably fucked. If he has a Japanese visa or residency then it’ll cause a brief blip on social media then life will continue.
Overall just a pain in the ass for everyone because he wanted to flex the “I’m not active duty anymore I don’t have to listen to you.” Which is correct, but you can be technically correct and still an asshole to be around.
I’d have just been like “I’m not active duty dudes,” pulled out my ID to prove it, and continued to enjoy my night. Play stupid games and win stupid prizes.
Again, reason why I’m sure the senior leadership will coordinate with the local authorities to make sure Japanese police accompany those patrols since Japanese police have the right to ask anyone for their ID, problem solved….
Although I was never stationed in Okinawa, those who were always talked about those briefs that reminded them that they were guests in Japan and they weren’t lords and masters of the universe. Seems like some in this chat are forgetting that…
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What’re we looking at here
u/TorLam in the videos that you posted which showed a black civilian, presumably, US citizen (named as former Captain Karen El) being thrown to the ground and forcibly arrested in a public place by US military police(?) and subsequently released. Where exactly did this happen? What were the circumstances that led to his arrest.
* https://www.facebook.com/reel/857348583903099/?mibextid=9drbnH
* https://www.facebook.com/reel/1762363287809429/?mibextid=9drbnH&s=yWDuG2&fs=e
I’m assuming that this was under a “temporary security hold” which is applicable in:
* Suspected or observed base trespass.
* Immediate threats to base security (weapons, violence, obstruction, sabotage, emergency force protection)
* Situations directly involving U.S. personnel, property, or official operations, when urgent protection is required.
Even then, it does not derive from Japanese criminal law, and it does not grant investigative or arrest powers over civilians beyond immediate safety restraint and identity capture and is only justified when the person:
* Crosses or attempts to cross restricted entry points without authorization, or climbs fences/enters secured zones.
* Triggers immediate force-protection protocols (e.g., alarms, detection sensors, armed response conditions).
* Is observed committing an act that imminently endangers the base or U.S. personnel (e.g., brandishing weapons, attacking guards, blocking gates, attempting sabotage).
Mere suspicion of an ordinary crime not impacting the base is not sufficient for MPs to detain. That falls entirely to Japanese police. Even identifying yourself off base to MPs is voluntary and also on base too if you have done nothing to warrant a “temporary security hold”. Though, I wouldn’t recommend trying that.
I’m a total outsider, so none of the above is guaranteed to be correct or true. It’s just what I assessed from the situation.
Would love to see what led up to this situation.
Even in the worst case scenario where the American guy (a retired Captain according to the FaceBook post) did absolutely nothing wrong this whole thing could have been avoided by taking 30 seconds to pull out his retired ID to show he isn’t active duty.
If he’s still SOFA at all (like working on base, or married to active duty) he’s probably fucked. If he has a Japanese visa or residency then it’ll cause a brief blip on social media then life will continue.
Overall just a pain in the ass for everyone because he wanted to flex the “I’m not active duty anymore I don’t have to listen to you.” Which is correct, but you can be technically correct and still an asshole to be around.
I’d have just been like “I’m not active duty dudes,” pulled out my ID to prove it, and continued to enjoy my night. Play stupid games and win stupid prizes.
Again, reason why I’m sure the senior leadership will coordinate with the local authorities to make sure Japanese police accompany those patrols since Japanese police have the right to ask anyone for their ID, problem solved….
Although I was never stationed in Okinawa, those who were always talked about those briefs that reminded them that they were guests in Japan and they weren’t lords and masters of the universe. Seems like some in this chat are forgetting that…
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