Protests Erupt in Japan Against Sexual Violence by US Military
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Tokyo, December 14 (NationPress) - Citizens of Japan convened outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo to voice their opposition to sexual violence perpetrated by US military personnel located in the country.
Earlier that day, before the demonstration took place on Friday, a member of the US Air Force received a five-year prison sentence from the Naha District Court for the abduction and sexual assault of a Japanese girl younger than 16 in Okinawa in December 2023, as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The ruling was based on the classification of the offense as a “major sexual infringement,” according to Judge Tetsuro Sato of the Naha District Court. The judge remarked, “The girl’s testimony that she communicated her age through gestures and other means is sufficiently credible based on the security camera footage.”
US Air Force serviceman Brennon R. E. Washington was charged on March 27 with “non-consensual sexual intercourse” and “indecent kidnapping” after it was revealed that he took a 16-year-old Japanese girl to his home last December and sexually assaulted her, as stated by Japanese prosecutors.
The US military transferred the 25-year-old serviceman to Japanese authorities on the same day. He was subsequently released on bail and placed in custody at Kadena, according to sources. His trial commenced on July 12.
Demonstrators expressed their outrage, stating that sexual violence by US military personnel is unacceptable and argued that a five-year sentence is grossly inadequate compared to the trauma suffered by the victim.
They also criticized the Japanese central government and police for their lack of transparency regarding the case with the Okinawa prefectural government. Protesters called for accountability from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for allegedly hiding details of the incident.
Incidents of crime involving US military personnel in Japan have been a persistent issue. According to statistics from Okinawa Prefecture, approximately 6,200 criminal cases involving US military personnel and their dependents have been documented in Okinawa from 1972 to 2023, which includes serious crimes such as murder, rape, and robbery.
