U.S. soldier terrifies citizen by pointing a gun at her

   Akahata has learned that a U.S. soldier pointed a gun over a U.S. Army Sagami Supply Depot fence at a resident of Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture.

   The incident occurred on January 16 when a housewife was riding a bicycle on the street near a public apartment complex. A soldier in a military vehicle moving slowly on the base pointed a gun at the woman.

   In answer to the city’s inquiry on January 28, U.S. Army officials stated that it might be that the soldier was moving the gun while patrolling the base as part of a training exercise for security. The move may have misled the woman, they added.

   Sagamihara City on the same day requested the U.S. Sagami Supply Deport to prevent such an incident from occurring again.

   Kanno Michiko, Japanese Communist Party Sagamihara City Assembly Members Group leader, said, “Our city has become scary with U.S. military vehicles such as Humvees (high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles) running through the city. We will firmly ask the U.S. Forces to take steps to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.”
- Akahata, January 31, 2008