SOFA members not part of Japanese Census

  • Published
  • By Capt. Darrick Lee
  • 35 Fighter Wing, Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, JAPAN --  Last week, U.S. Forces in Japan committed to providing support to the Japanese government during the 2010 Japanese National Census.

In a Sept. 2, 2010 memorandum, U.S. Army Col. Patrick Stackpole, Chief of Staff for U.S. Forces, Japan, asked service members to assist the Japanese government with this year's census efforts, scheduled to begin in October.

According to the memo, the census intends to exclude members of the U.S. Armed Forces from being counted. Census takers also plan to exclude associated U.S. civilians and dependents as defined in the Status of Forces Agreement.

For military members living on a U.S. installation, it is not likely they will be approached by census workers. However, the memo does ask commanders to allow census workers access to U.S. facilities in an effort to interview any non-SOFA personnel who may be on the base.

For military families who reside off base, Colonel Stackpole is asking they identify themselves as covered by the SOFA if and when Japanese census workers approach their homes.

For questions regarding this effort, call the U.S. Forces Japan's office of
Manpower, Personnel and Support at DSN 225-6218.