[A US serviceman was sentenced to five years in prison for kidnapping and raping a 16-year-old Japanese girl last year. The sentence was handed down by Judge Tetsuro Sato of Naha District Court, who stated that the crime was a “major sexual infringement.” The defendant, Brennon R. E. Washington, was aware that the girl was under 16 years old and that she may not have consented to the sexual encounter.
Washington, a 25-year-old US Air Force member, was indicted on March 27 on charges of “non-consensual sexual intercourse” and “indecent kidnapping.” He was discovered to have taken the girl to his residence last December and sexually assaulting her. The US military handed Washington over to Japanese authorities on the same day and he was later released on bail and transferred to Kadena for custody.
The incident is the latest in a history of criminal cases involving US personnel in Okinawa, a southern Japanese island home to several US military installations. The case could exacerbate tensions with residents who have long opposed the presence of American troops and weaponry on the island.
The incident also comes nearly 30 years after three US servicemen raped a 12-year-old Okinawa schoolgirl in 1995, sparking a backlash against the US military on the island. In 2016, the rape and murder of a 20-year-old woman by a former US base worker in Okinawa triggered mass protests in the island’s capital, with tens of thousands of residents demanding the US move its bases outside of Okinawa.
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki stated that the allegations of rape and kidnap against Washington were “extremely regrettable” and that his office will “take a tough stance in dealing with the situation.” The US Air Force also expressed regret over the incident, stating that sexual assault is a serious crime and that the military is committed to holding accountable those who are convicted of criminal acts.
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