MILITARY MILITARY FACES Japanese woman Killing of Soleimani ‘Onward’ latest Pixar convicted in death changed calculus film to explore pain of airman boyfriend in Mideast relations of missing parents Page 3 Page 6 Page 14 Zhang, Adesanya retain championship belts at UFC 248 » MMA, Page 23 stripes.com Volume 78, No. 231 ©SS 2020 MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2020 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas Out of the shadows Frustrated with 19 years of failure to end veteran suicide crisis, advocacy groups put issue center stage before lawmakers Page 7 ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREA VILLARI / Stars and Stripes ANALYSIS Coronavirus has US military on defensive in S. Korea BY KIM GAMEL Stars and Stripes ‘ You used to just Related staff coverage: have to worry about SEOUL, South Korea — The Moves to new assignments halted for troops in S. Korea, Italy rapidly spreading new coronavi- missiles from North Page 4 rus has put the U.S. military on Korea. Now you’ve defense against a new enemy in got to worry about certainty surrounding the pneu- cess to fortress-like bases and check everybody trying to enter South Korea as it struggles to keep monia-like illness has caused ordering service members to stay posts for possible exposure to the troops ready to fight the old one. viruses in your stock markets to plunge as people inside the perimeter as much as virus and signs of a fever. The virus has infected more backyard. ’ increasingly stay home. possible. So far, only seven people af- than 100,000 people after spread- In many ways, the military is Soldiers armed with question- filiated with U.S. Forces Korea, ing to more than 60 countries, Daniel Davis uniquely poised to keep the virus naires and thermometers have including the United States. Un- retired Army offi cer at bay by sharply restricting ac- been deployed to access gates to SEE DEFENSIVE ON PAGE 4 PAGE 2 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Monday, March 9, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER EXCHANGE RATES UBS Bank won’t fund new offshore Arctic drilling Military rates Switzerland (Franc)............................0.9370 Euro costs (March 9)........................$1.1633 Thailand (Baht) ..................................... 31.49 Dollar buys (March 9) ......................€0.8596 Turkey (Lira) .........................................6.0836 British pound (March 9) ......................$1.33 Associated Press (Military exchange rates are those Daily News reported Friday. that these new policies could hurt Japanese yen (March 9) ....................104.00 available to customers at military banking South Korean won (March 9) ........1,161.00 The firm has “committed to no projects that Alaska relies on for Commercial rates facilities in the country of issuance KENAI, Alaska — A multina- for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the longer provide financing where future revenue. Bahrain (Dinar) ....................................0.3767 Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For tional investment bank has ended British pound .....................................$1.3013 the stated use of proceeds is Major oil companies in Alaska nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., Canada (Dollar) ...................................1.3425 support for offshore drilling in purchasing British pounds in Germany), for new offshore oil projects in are not dependent on banks for China (Yuan) ........................................6.9320 check with your local military banking the Arctic amid efforts to tackle Denmark (Krone) ................................6.6020 the Arctic,” the bank said in a their projects because they often facility. Commercial rates are interbank climate change, a move that could Egypt (Pound) ....................................15.6408 statement. use their own cash flow or sell Euro ........................................ $1.1314/0.8838 rates provided for reference when buying affect future funding for oil and Multiple U.S. banks, includ- assets, but the announcements Hong Kong (Dollar) .............................7.7722 currency. All figures are foreign currencies to one dollar, except for the British pound, gas projects in Alaska, a newspa- ing Wells Fargo & Co ., Goldman could make it difficult for smaller Hungary (Forint) .................................296.96 Israel (Shekel) .....................................3.4856 which is represented in dollars-to-pound, per said. Sachs and JPMorgan Chase, have operators to receive loans to bor- Japan (Yen) ...........................................105.23 and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) Switzerland-based UBS Bank also announced similar policy row money for future plans, said Kuwait (Dinar) .....................................0.3054 INTEREST RATES joined several other investment Norway (Krone) ...................................9.2553 shifts, stating that they were no Larry Persily, former federal Philippines (Peso).................................50.54 Prime rate ................................................4.25 companies in pulling funding and longer supporting new projects in coordinator for Alaska gas line Poland (Zloty) ..........................................3.80 Discount rate .......................................... 1.75 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) ...........................3.7229 Federal funds market rate ...................1.58 support for new offshore proj- the region. projects under President Barack Singapore (Dollar) ..............................1.3784 3-month bill .............................................0.49 ects in the region, the Anchorage Some have argued, however, Obama. South Korea (Won) ..........................1,189.36 30-year bond ...........................................1.22 WEATHER OUTLOOK MONDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST MONDAY IN EUROPE TUESDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 49/44 Kabul 57/39 Seoul 46/43 Baghdad 80/55 Kandahar 62/42 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 50/45 54/51 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 50/39 44/39 51/48 Iwakuni 54/50 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 68/65 Brussels 43/38 Guam 77/61 50/42 Ramstein 58/53 80/77 Lajes, 46/41 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 73/53 75/60 63/60 45/41 48/33 Aviano/ Vicenza 46/37 Naples 54/44 Okinawa Morón 71/68 68/46 Sigonella Rota 58/46 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 83/74 64/42 56/52 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ..... 11 Classified .................. 13 Comics ...................... 15 Crossword ................. 15 Faces ........................ 14 Opinion ..................... 16 Sports ...................17-24 Monday, March 9, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 3 MILITARY Japanese woman convicted in airman’s death BY SETH ROBSON wei ler’s supervisor gave her five AND HANA KUSUMOTO minutes to leave the house. Stars and Stripes The court, composed of three judges and six jurors, gave Saito TACHIKAWA, Japan — A 300 days’ credit for time already Tokyo court on Friday sentenced spent in detention. Saito may be a Japanese woman to 15 years in considered for parole after serv- prison with hard labor for stab- ing one-third — five years — of bing her American airman boy- her sentence, according to an of- friend to death at his off-base ficial at the Ministry of Justice’s home in western Tokyo. corrections bureau. Aria Saito, 28, of Tokyo, was convicted of murder in the death On Monday, the victim’s par- of Air Force Master Sgt. Nicholas ents, Bernard and Laura Vollwei- Vollweiler, 35, who served as the ler, of Saylorsburg, Pa., asked the security forces squadron’s chief court to impose a life sentence or of standards and evaluation at Yo- at least 60-70 years since their kota Air Base. She was also found son might have lived that much guilty of violating Japan’s Swords longer. and Firearms Control Law. Takeshita said the family’s de- Presiding Judge Yu Takeshita sire for severe punishment was said that Saito, in breaking into understandable. Vollweiler’s home on the eve- There is strong evidence that ning of Nov. 9, 2018, with two Saito has attention deficit hyper- knives and stabbing him with one activity disorder and an inability blow that caused a fatal, 1½-inch to control her emotions, Takeshi- wound on his neck, showed her ta said. He said those factors con- strong intent to kill. tributed to the crime but did not The judge said he believed Saito cause it. Saito appears remorse- was furious after finding out that ful and has shown willingness to Vollweiler was married and want- seek help, he added. ed to end his relationship with Takeshita advised Saito to con- Saito. She ignored police warn- tinue to think about Vollweiler ings to stay away from his home during her incarceration. He also after breaking his possessions said she should think about him Nov. 3 and returned the day of the and what she has done even after murder, Takeshita said. she is released. THERON GODBOLD/Stars and Stripes However, Takeshita said he believed Saito did not plan the [email protected] A photo of Master Sgt. Nicholas Vollweiler is carried during a memorial service at Yokota Air Base, Twitter: @SethRobson1 murder but became emotionally [email protected] Japan, in November 2018. Vollweiler’s Japanese girlfriend, who stabbed him to death, was sentenced to cornered and acted after Voll- Twitter: @HanaKusumoto 15 years in prison with hard labor Friday. Yokota base Ramstein airman to host new faces court-martial in talk series crash death of German BY THERON GODBOLD Stars and Stripes BY JENNIFER H. SVAN the time of the crash. Stars and Stripes Another preliminary hearing YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan is set for April 30