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2024 June 26 - July 2 TOP3 [US FORCES]

Yet another rape by US soldier concealed from public in advance of Okinawa assembly election

It has come into the open that yet another rape incident involving a U.S. soldier in Okinawa had been concealed for more than one month from the general public preceding the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly election.

On June 28, Okinawa Prosecutors revealed that a 21-year-old U.S. marine in Okinawa was indicted for sexually assaulting and injuring a woman in May in Yomitan Village.

It was just on June 25 when the rape of a minor late last year by a U.S. Air Force soldier in Okinawa was brought to light. It is considered that the LDP-Komei government, with the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly election on June 16 in mind, intentionally covered up these two rape cases.

The Japanese Communist Party Okinawa Prefectural Committee and JCP Okinawa Prefectural Assemblymembers’ group on June 27 lodged a protest with the Foreign Ministry Okinawa Liaison Office in Naha City in connection with the rape case which had been hidden for six months.

During the protest, there was an exchange that deepened suspicions of a further cover-up.

Toguchi Osamu, who heads JCP Okinawa prefectural assemblypersons, asked Kuroishi Ryo, deputy chief of the MOFA Okinawa Liaison Office, if there were any other incidents that the MOFA had not yet disclosed or informed Okinawa Governor Tamaki Denny about in addition to the rape case of last December. Kuroishi answered, “None.”