TOKYO, Jul 13 (NNN-NHK) – A U.S. Air Force member, in Japan’s island prefecture of Okinawa, pleaded not guilty yesterday, to charges of allegedly kidnapping a girl under the age of 16 and committing non-consensual sexual intercourse, in Dec last year, local media reported.
At his first hearing at the Naha District Court, Brennon Washington, 25, said, “I’m not guilty,” asserting he is innocent of the charges, Kyodo News said.
The case came to light in late June, around three months after his indictment, as local police decided not to disclose the incident. The decision has inflamed strong and long-existing opposition to the U.S. military presence in the prefecture.
According to the indictment, dated Mar 27, the U.S. serviceman allegedly invited the girl to speak to him in his car, at a park in the village of Yomitan on Dec 24, last year, and drove her to his residence, before committing indecent acts such as kissing and touching the lower half of the girl’s body with the knowledge that she was under 16.
Washington was handed over to Japanese authorities, following the indictment but was released after posting bail and is currently in U.S. custody, according to the Okinawa prefectural government.
Just days after Washington’s case came to light, it was revealed that a U.S. Marine had been arrested in May, on suspicion of attempted rape resulting in injury. The case was also not made public by the police at the time, citing the victim’s privacy.
The Japanese Foreign Ministry was aware of the two incidents, but refrained from providing the information to the Okinawa prefectural government, taking the police’s decision into account, the report said.
In wake of the revelations of these sex crimes, involving U.S. military personnel, the Japanese government earlier this month reviewed information-sharing arrangements with local governments, vowing to notify municipalities of any crimes allegedly committed by U.S. military members “without exception,” the report added.
Okinawa hosts 70 percent of all the U.S. military bases in Japan, while accounting for only 0.6 percent of the country’s total land area. Crimes committed by U.S. service members and nonmilitary personnel have been a constant source of grievance for locals.
The rape of a 12-year-old Okinawa schoolgirl by three U.S. servicemen in 1995, prompted a wave of public outrage. Other cases include the rape and murder of a 20-year-old woman in 2016, by a former U.S. base worker, who was later sentenced to life in prison, according to Kyodo News.– NNN-NHK
