A 25-year-old US Air Force soldier has been charged with kidnapping and raping a teenage girl under the age of 16 in Okinawa, Japan, which hosts the largest American military base in the region. The alleged assault took place on December 24, and the soldier was identified through security camera footage after the girl’s family reported the incident. He has been in Japanese custody since late March.
This incident has reignited long-standing opposition to the US military presence in Okinawa, where more than half of the 54,000 US soldiers stationed in Japan are based. Sexual assault cases involving US service personnel have previously fueled anger, most notably in 1995 when three US service members raped a 12-year-old girl, sparking months-long protests.
Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi revealed the charges to the public, stating that US officials are fully cooperating with investigators. Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lodged a complaint with US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, and the first hearing in the case is scheduled for July 12. Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki described the case as “disturbing” and “a violation of the girl’s dignity,” saying it has caused significant distrust.
Japan hosts one of the largest American military forces outside the US, with about 30,000 soldiers stationed in Okinawa. The bases are strategically important for the US due to Okinawa’s proximity to Taiwan, allowing quick responses to any Chinese threats. However, a poll last year revealed that seven in ten Okinawans believe the concentration of US bases on their islands is “unfair.”
Accidents and crimes involving US military personnel have long stirred tension. In 2012, a US Navy officer killed two Japanese citizens in a car accident, and in 2017, a US Army base worker was convicted of raping and murdering a 20-year-old local woman. Efforts to relocate US bases to less populated parts of Okinawa have been made, but many locals want the bases removed altogether.
Experts argue that Japan’s military alliance with the US is too crucial to allow for the removal of the bases, given the threats posed by China’s territorial claims and North Korea’s missile tests. Following the recent sexual assault charge, the Japanese government is calling for stricter oversight of US troops stationed in the country.
Yoshimasa Hayashi informed reporters that prosecutors charged the US soldier in March and that the government had expressed “regret” to Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, urging stronger oversight of military personnel behavior. Okinawa accounts for just 0.6% of Japan’s land mass but hosts about 70% of the US military bases and facilities in the country.
Governor Denny Tamaki expressed “strong indignation” over the case, emphasizing that such incidents instill fear among residents and trample on the dignity of women. This latest case highlights the ongoing tension and the complex dynamics of the US military presence in Okinawa.
