US airman pleads not guilty to sexually assaulting a minor in Japan with horrific allegations threatening to cause international incident
An American pilot stationed in Japan has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and sexually assaulting a minor, sparking public outrage.
Brennon Washington, 25, is a member of the U.S. Air Force at Kadena Base in Okinawa Prefecture.
He appeared in a Naha District Court today to plead guilty to assault charges that allegedly occurred in December.
According to Japanese prosecutors, Washington is said to have approached a girl under the age of 16 in a park in the central part of the main island of Okinawa on Christmas Eve.
A U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcon takes off from Kadena Air Base, Japan, June 3, 2022. Washington is based at the base in Okinawa
A general view of Camp Schwab, where Marine Lance Corporal Jamel Clayton is stationed
Washington is accused of forcing the girl into his car and driving her to his home outside Kadena Air Force Base, where he sexually assaulted her.
Although the charges were filed on March 27, the case only came to light on June 25 after an Okinawan television station reported on it.
The case has caused widespread outrage in Japanese society, which was further heightened when it emerged that another American serviceman had been accused of similar crimes.
On June 28, media reported that 21-year-old American Corporal Jamel Clayton, who was also stationed in the prefecture, had been charged on June 17 with attempted rape and battery of a woman in the village of Yomitan on May 26.
The Okinawa Prefectural Police defended their decision not to make the two cases public, saying: “We must pay sufficient attention to preventing secondary victimization of the victims and protecting their privacy. We are also concerned that this may hamper the investigation.”
The incidents have severely strained relations between Japan and the US and led to protests.
In June, the Japanese government protested at the US embassy in Tokyo.
Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano met with US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel to ask for disciplinary and preventive measures regarding the two alleged attacks.
On June 28, a crowd of 100 people gathered outside the U.S. Kadena Air Force Base, bearing flowers and calling for the eradication of sexual violence.
People on Okinawa protest alleged sexual abuse involving US troops stationed on the island
A student told NHK: “I can’t forgive the Japanese and American governments for hiding it for six months.”
Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki said the allegations left him “speechless and angry.”
He also stressed the need to “reconstruct” the communications system in case of crimes and accidents involving US military personnel.
Following the allegations, the Japanese government has revised information-sharing agreements with local governments.
The organization promised to notify municipalities “without exception” of crimes believed to have been committed by U.S. military personnel, The Mainichi reported.
The Japanese Foreign Ministry was aware of the two incidents but did not pass the information on to Okinawa Prefecture.
The teenager’s case is reminiscent of the rape of a 12-year-old girl by three US soldiers in 1995.
This also led to major protests against the large presence of American troops on the island.
This led to an agreement in 1996 between Japan and the US on the closure of a major US air base.
In 2016, a former US base employee was sentenced to life in prison for the rape and murder of a 20-year-old woman.