US Air Force member charged with kidnapping and rape of Japanese schoolgirl

JAKARTA – Japanese prosecutors have charged a U.S. Air Force member with kidnapping and raping a minor before Christmas last year.

Okinawa police said 25-year-old Brennon RE Washington was charged with “non-consensual sexual intercourse” and “immoral kidnapping” on March 27, a court spokesman in Naha, Okinawa’s capital, said. CNN on Thursday, June 27th.

The US military handed the soldier over to the Japanese authorities that same day.

The suspect was released on bail and taken to the U.S. Kadena Air Base in Okinawa for detention, a government spokesman said. His trial is scheduled to begin on July 12, according to a Naha District Court spokesman.

A court spokesman said CNN They had no details about the pilot’s legal representation.

The charges come at a time when Washington and Tokyo are deepening their military alliance – partly due to increasing geopolitical tensions with China and North Korea.

Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki said the rape and kidnapping cases were “extremely regrettable” and stressed that “a strong protest against the U.S. military and related organizations is necessary.”

The governor also said his office would “take a tough stance in dealing with this situation.”

Brennon Washington, the soldier accused, is assigned to the 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Kadena Air Base in Japan, the US Air Force said. It confirmed his rank and service record to CNN.

“The 18th Squadron is aware of allegations of sexual assault against a Kadena Airman involving a Japanese national,” said 18th Squadron spokesman 1st Lt. Alvin G. Nelson III. CNN.

“We understand and share the concerns of the local community regarding this case,” Nelson said.

The wing’s leadership is “deeply concerned about the seriousness of these alleged crimes” and is working with local authorities to investigate the allegations.

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