In response to a series of traffic accidents in the city involving U.S. military personnel from the U.S. Navy’s Yokosuka Base, the city held its first trilateral meeting with the base command and national government officials to discuss traffic education for U.S. forces to prevent future incidents. The city confirmed the current state of traffic education for U.S. military personnel and requested the base command provide appropriate compensation to the families of accident victims.
In April, a man on a motorcycle died after a collision with a car driven by a U.S. service member in the city. In September of last year, a man on a motorcycle died after a collision with a car driven by a U.S. service member. In February of this year, a car driven by a U.S. service member struck a man crossing a pedestrian crossing.
Following the April accident, the city began coordinating multiple times with relevant agencies since May, through in-person meetings and phone calls, to prepare for discussions on traffic education. The meeting was attended by officials from the city’s International Exchange and Base Policy Division, the head of the Civil Affairs Department of the base command, and officials from the Ministry of Defense’s South Kanto Defense Bureau.
