Friction Between Japan, U.S. Military

Some events that have raised tensions about the U.S. military presence in Japan, where about 47,000 U.S. service members are based under a mutual security treaty. Nearly two-thirds of them are in Okinawa, 1,000 miles southwest of Tokyo:

* U.S. Lt. Gen. Earl Hailston, the top Marine on Okinawa, reportedly refers to local officials as “nuts and a bunch of wimps” in an e-mail. He apologizes Tuesday and again Thursday.

* A U.S. Navy serviceman is arrested Jan. 14 on suspicion of breaking an Okinawa bar owner’s finger during a brawl.

* A U.S. Marine is arrested Jan. 9 on accusations that he sneaked up on a 16-year-old girl in Okinawa, lifted her skirt, took photos and molested her.

* The collision of two F-16C fighter jets based in northern Japan on Nov. 13, 2000, reawakens concerns about the safety of Japanese living near American bases.

* A U.S. Marine is arrested on July 3, 2000, after walking into an unlocked apartment in Okinawa City, crawling into the bed of a 14-year-old girl and fondling her. The girl’s mother, awakened by her screams, reports finding the drunken Marine atop her daughter. He pleads guilty.

* Three U.S. servicemen rape a 12-year-old girl in 1995. Tens of thousands of Okinawans march in outrage.