Investigation into Alleged Sex Crimes by US Marines at Japanese Military Base
Okinawa Island has experienced a series of sexual assault incidents allegedly involving American military personnel over the past year. According to Kyodo News, two US Marines stationed on Okinawa Island are currently under investigation for...
TroibNews 
Okinawa Island has experienced a series of sexual assault incidents allegedly involving American military personnel over the past year.
According to Kyodo News, two US Marines stationed on Okinawa Island are currently under investigation for allegedly raping local civilian women. One Marine, believed to be in his 20s, is suspected of raping a Japanese woman in a bathroom at a US military base last month. He is also facing charges for injuring a second woman, a civilian worker at the base, who attempted to assist the victim. Another Marine, also in his 20s, is accused of raping a woman at a different base in January.
These reported incidents are part of a concerning trend of sexual assaults attributed to American service members on the island in the past year. Okinawa, which hosts 70% of all US military facilities in Japan, occupies only 1% of the country’s landmass.
Kyodo reported that the Okinawa prefectural police referred the case to prosecutors earlier this month. Japanese authorities have launched an investigation in cooperation with the US military and have conducted a voluntary interview with the involved Marines.
Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki, a prominent critic of US military bases in Japan, described the alleged rapes as “very deplorable” and urged American military officials to implement measures “that would be effective to prevent a similar incident.”
US Ambassador to Japan George Glass expressed “deep” concern regarding the allegations and conveyed his distress over the reports. “We deeply value the ties of trust and friendship we have built over many decades with our Japanese hosts, and I am committed to doing everything I can to prevent actions that may jeopardize these bonds,” he said, as reported by Kyodo.
These cases come amid a string of violent attacks against women in Okinawa. In December, a Japanese court sentenced Senior Airman Brennon Washington to five years of hard labor for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl the previous year. In June, a Marine lance corporal was indicted for attempted sexual assault, and another lance corporal faced charges in September for injuring a woman during a sexual assault.
High-profile cases, particularly the 1995 abduction and rape of a 12-year-old girl by three American servicemen, have intensified opposition to the military presence in Okinawa. Nonetheless, both the US and Japanese governments reportedly argue that the presence of American troops in Okinawa is a necessary deterrent in response to Chinese military activities in the South and East China Seas, as well as North Korea’s ongoing nuclear and ballistic missile developments.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
According to Kyodo News, two US Marines stationed on Okinawa Island are currently under investigation for allegedly raping local civilian women. One Marine, believed to be in his 20s, is suspected of raping a Japanese woman in a bathroom at a US military base last month. He is also facing charges for injuring a second woman, a civilian worker at the base, who attempted to assist the victim. Another Marine, also in his 20s, is accused of raping a woman at a different base in January.
These reported incidents are part of a concerning trend of sexual assaults attributed to American service members on the island in the past year. Okinawa, which hosts 70% of all US military facilities in Japan, occupies only 1% of the country’s landmass.
Kyodo reported that the Okinawa prefectural police referred the case to prosecutors earlier this month. Japanese authorities have launched an investigation in cooperation with the US military and have conducted a voluntary interview with the involved Marines.
Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki, a prominent critic of US military bases in Japan, described the alleged rapes as “very deplorable” and urged American military officials to implement measures “that would be effective to prevent a similar incident.”
US Ambassador to Japan George Glass expressed “deep” concern regarding the allegations and conveyed his distress over the reports. “We deeply value the ties of trust and friendship we have built over many decades with our Japanese hosts, and I am committed to doing everything I can to prevent actions that may jeopardize these bonds,” he said, as reported by Kyodo.
These cases come amid a string of violent attacks against women in Okinawa. In December, a Japanese court sentenced Senior Airman Brennon Washington to five years of hard labor for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl the previous year. In June, a Marine lance corporal was indicted for attempted sexual assault, and another lance corporal faced charges in September for injuring a woman during a sexual assault.
High-profile cases, particularly the 1995 abduction and rape of a 12-year-old girl by three American servicemen, have intensified opposition to the military presence in Okinawa. Nonetheless, both the US and Japanese governments reportedly argue that the presence of American troops in Okinawa is a necessary deterrent in response to Chinese military activities in the South and East China Seas, as well as North Korea’s ongoing nuclear and ballistic missile developments.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
