Wright calls for special task force

[unhappycamper]

Wright calls for special task force
By Teri Weaver, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, February 16, 2008

TOKYO — The top U.S. military officer in Japan called for a special task force on Thursday evening to “review and reinforce” current sexual assault prevention programs at American bases in Japan and Okinawa.

The announcement from Lt. Gen. Bruce Wright, U.S. Forces Japan commander, came in response to the arrest last weekend of a 38-year-old Marine, who is being held on suspicion of raping a 14-year-old girl on Okinawa.

It also came on the day an Article 32 hearing began for four Marines from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni accused of raping a Japanese woman in Hiroshima in October.

“The mission of the task force is to review and reinforce our service sexual harassment and assault prevention programs and our education programs,” Wright said Thursday evening during a news conference at The New Sanno military hotel in Tokyo.

“We know we will find, as with any program, ways to make this better,” Wright said. “We obviously have a challenge here. We’ve had this incident, which is deplorable. It’s essential that we review the programs.”


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52509