US soldier charged in Okinawa for rape of minor

A US soldier has been charged with the kidnapping and rape of a teenage woman in Okinawa, a Japanese island chain that hosts the area’s largest American army base.

The case is prone to stoke the long-standing native opposition to US army presence – the islands are dwelling to greater than half of the 54,000 US troopers serving in Japan.

The anger has additionally been fuelled by sexual assault circumstances – some of the high-profile was in 1995, when a 12-year-old woman was raped by three US service personnel, sparking months-long protests.

The most recent allegation additionally includes a minor, who’s youthful than 16, the age of consent in Japan.

The 25-year-old Air Drive man allegedly assaulted her on 24 December and he was recognized via safety digicam footage after the ladies’ household reported it, native media stated.

He was charged in late March and has been within the custody of Japanese authorities since then, authorities spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi stated on Tuesday when he revealed the costs to the general public.

“We are going to proceed to request the US aspect to stop such incidents at each alternative,” Mr Hayashi stated, including that US officers had been cooperating totally with investigators.

He additionally stated Japan’s Ministry of International Affairs has lodged a criticism with the US Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emmanuel. He added that the primary listening to within the case is scheduled for 12 July.

The case is “not simply disturbing… but in addition a violation of the woman’s dignity”, and “introduced a big stage of mistrust”, Okinawa governor Denny Tamaki stated.

Native media reported that the soldier was off responsibility when he allegedly approached the woman at a park and requested her to get into his automobile so they might discuss. He then drove her to his dwelling the place he allegdly raped her.

Japan hosts one of many world’s largest American army forces exterior the US.

About 30,000 American troopers are stationed throughout Okinawa, the place the US has stored army bases since defeating Japan in World Struggle Two.

The bases have turn out to be more and more strategic for Washington as a result of Okinawa’s proximity to Taiwan permits the US to reply shortly to any Chinese language risk.

The heavy American presence is mirrored within the malls, outlets and eating places that serve steak, burgers, tacos and root beer floats throughout the island chain.

In cities like Ginowan, dwelling to a serious US base known as Futenma, it isn’t unusual for locals to get up as much as the whirring sound of Osprey engines or see them flying over public housing.

Seven in ten Okinawans really feel that the focus of US bases on their islands is “unfair”, in keeping with an opinion ballot final yr.

Whereas protests in opposition to the bases are frequent, younger folks in Japan are rising extra resigned to US army presence, the identical ballot confirmed.

Nonetheless, accidents and crimes the place the victims are Japanese have lengthy stirred rigidity across the American presence.

In 2012, a US Navy officer killed two Japanese residents in a automobile accident throughout a visit to Mount Fuji.

After 1995, the following large protests occurred in 2017 when a US military base employee was convicted for the rape and murder of a 20-year-old local woman.

In 2013, two US Navy sailors had been jailed for the rape of an Okinawan woman in her 20s. The case led to curfews for US troops throughout Japan.

There have been efforts to maneuver the US bases to much less populated components of Okinawa, however locals need them eliminated altogether.

Specialists, nonetheless, say Japan’s miliatry alliance with the US is simply too robust for that to occur. They usually say Tokyo wants Washington given the challenges it faces, be it China’s rising claims over disputed waters and islands, or North Korea’s barrage of missile checks.