June 27, 2024

A case involving a U.S. airman in Okinawa came to light on June 27 in which he had been indicted by the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office for the kidnapping and raping of a girl under the age of 16.

Reportedly, the 25-year-old U.S. Air Force serviceman stationed at the U.S. Kadena Air Base, took the girl away in his car and sexually assaulted her at his home on December 24, 2023, and was charged for the alleged crimes on March 27.

The Japanese government, after the indictment of the U.S. soldier, protested to U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel. The government, however, did not inform the Okinawa prefectural government about the incident for three months.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa on June 26 held a press conference on this matter. Asked by the press corps why the government had not reported the incident to Okinawa, Hayashi refused to respond and said, “It is a matter that concerns the activities of the investigative authorities.” However, it is believed that the government took into account the impact of the case on the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly election that took place on June 16.

In reaction to the revelation, Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira on behalf of the JCP handed a letter of protest to a senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Diet building, stating that the crime was a despicable act that tramples on the victim’s human rights and dignity.

The protest letter denounces the government for having known about the incident three months in advance but failed to inform the Okinawans about it.

Miyamoto Shingo of the MOFA North American Affairs Bureau revealed to JCP Koike that Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko and the Prime Minister’s Office had shared information about the incident as of March 27 when the Naha prosecutors indicted the U.S. soldier.

According to Miyamoto, MOFA Vice-Minister Okano Masataka immediately after the prosecution of the suspect expressed the Japanese government’s regrets to the U.S. ambassador to Japan, requesting that discipline be strictly enforced among U.S. military personnel and that a recurrence of crimes involving U.S. servicemen be prevented.

JCP Koike pointed out that such facts, on the other hand, had not been made known to Okinawa at all. He said that Foreign Minister Kamikawa and the Prime Minister’s Office are to blame for failing to make public the incident despite being aware of it, adding, “Many people think that the government covered up the facts out of political considerations before the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly election.”

Koike asked the MOFA senior official if the Japanese government has requested the U.S. military to take any specific measure such as “restrictions on outings” following the incident. The official answered, “We are not aware of any such measure being taken.”