US soldier charged with sexual abuse of girl in Okinawa – AsAmNews

Japanese prosecutors on the island of Okinawa have charged a 25-year-old U.S. Air Force member with the kidnapping and sexual assault of a young girl in December.

According to the March 27 indictment, Brennon Washington invited the girl to a conversation in his car at a park on December 24 and drove to his house to cook and watch movies before sexually abusing her. According to Kyodo News and investigators were aware that Washington was under 16 and that Washington and the girl did not know each other.

According to local police, a person who knew the girl reported the incident the same day. The Japanese Foreign Ministry learned of the allegations in late March and Washington was taken into custody by Japanese authorities after being identified through surveillance camera footage.

A complaint was filed with the US Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, in which the Japanese government expressed its regret and called for greater control over the conduct of military personnel, CBS News reported. According to Kyodo NewsThe Okinawa prefectural government was unaware of the incident until an investigation was made public on Tuesday.

Dennis Tamaki, the governor of Okinawa, said Kyodo News The authority said the development had brought “a significant level of mistrust” into relations and said the allegations were “not only disturbing for local residents but also an affront to the girl’s dignity”.

Okinawa Vice Governor Takekuni Ikeda met with Brigadier General Nicholas Evans, commander of the 18th Squadron at Kadena Air Base, and other U.S. officials on Thursday, according to a NHK World JapanEvans said there: “I am deeply concerned about the seriousness of this allegation and regret any concern it has caused,” adding that the U.S. military will cooperate with local authorities and the legal process in this investigation and will also work to obtain an apology and compensation for the victim.

Ikeda said that “this is a serious and malicious incident that tramples on women’s rights and is unforgivable,” pointing out that the Okinawa government was only informed on Tuesday of the charges filed in March. Ikeda called for stricter curfews, inspection of service personnel, and compilation and disclosure of preventive measures.

In the same article, Japanese politician Keiko Itokazu criticized the Japanese and US governments as well as the US forces in Okinawa. NHK World JapanShe said they had “done nothing about the actual situation where the lives and livelihoods of the people in the prefecture are threatened by such serious and vicious crimes,” despite promises to ease the burden on the bases.

According to several sources, government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told local reporters: “We will continue to urge the U.S. side to prevent such incidents at every opportunity.”

Although Okinawa occupies 0.6% of Japan’s land area, it is home to 70% of all U.S. military bases and facilities in the country. Half of the 54,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan are stationed here. This military presence is a legacy of World War II and current political and military alliances.

A number of issues and incidents related to the presence of the U.S. military and U.S. military personnel have long angered Okinawans, particularly crimes against Okinawan and Japanese civilians. The current case comes nearly 30 years after a 12-year-old Okinawan schoolgirl was raped by three U.S. soldiers in 1995, sparking widespread outrage and protests.

In 2013, two US Navy sailors were imprisoned for the rape of an Okinawan woman, leading to a curfew for all US troops stationed in Japan. The conviction of a US military base employee in 2017 for the rape and murder of a 20-year-old Okinawan woman also sparked massive outrage and protests.

Outside Okinawa, a U.S. Navy officer killed two Japanese civilians in a car accident during a trip to Mount Fuji in 2012.

According to an opinion poll last year, seven out of ten Okinawans thought the concentration of US bases on their island was “unfair.” The same poll also showed that young people in Japan are increasingly opposed to US bases. A nationwide NHK A 2022 poll found that 80% of Japanese say the current distribution of U.S. troops in Japan feels “wrong” or “somewhat wrong.”

On Thursday, according to NHK World JapanRepresentatives of six civic groups in Okinawa called for the closure of all existing US bases and a ban on the construction of new bases. The representatives also plan to call on Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and US President Joe Biden to address the issue of US bases in Okinawa and take action against crimes committed by US military personnel and civilian employees.

However, according to the BBC, some experts believe that the military alliance between Japan and the US is too strong for these changes to take place, especially given North Korea’s weapons and missile tests, strained relations between the US and China, China’s claims to disputed islands and waters with other states and its stance on the status of Taiwan.

The first hearing in the case is scheduled for July 12. NHK World JapanNeither prosecutors nor police have disclosed whether Washington has admitted the allegations.

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