Alkonis Release from U.S. Prison Draws Negative Reaction in Japan

Considering all the publicity the Alkonis family made trying to get him transferred to a U.S. prison, it was doubtful they would ever keep his release low key:

A Navy officer’s release by U.S. authorities from his prison term for two 2021 traffic deaths near Mount Fuji has stirred a wave of criticism by Japanese on social media. Online critique of Lt. Ridge Alkonis’ release, ordered Jan.12 by the U.S. Parole Commission, and his subsequent media appearances “goes far beyond the scale” sometimes leveled at the U.S. military in Japan, said Jeffrey Hall, a special lecturer at Kanda University of International Studies in Chiba prefecture. (……)

“The pressure campaign to release Alkonis and his subsequent release received very little media attention in Japan,” he told Stars and Stripes by email Friday. “If they had not decided to draw attention to themselves with a post-release victory tour in the US news media, this event probably would have been largely unnoticed in Japan.”

Stars & Stripes

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