Japan Press Weekly

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2016 March 9 - 15 [US FORCES]

Okinawa governor protests against rape by US soldier

Okinawa Governor Onaga Takeshi on March 14 at a press conference in the prefectural office building protested against a U.S. soldier’s sexual assault on a Japanese woman and called for the prevention of crimes by U.S. servicemen.

The incident occurred on the previous day at a hotel in the prefecture’s capital Naha. A 24-year-old U.S. Navy first-class seaman attached to Camp Schwab, Justin Castellanos, was arrested on suspicion of raping a Japanese woman who visited Okinawa for sightseeing.

At the press conference, Onaga condemned the rape incident as a serious criminal act trampling on women’s human rights. Expressing his strong anger, he said, “It is unforgivable.”

Pointing out that the tourist from mainland Japan was brutally attacked, Onaga said, “As a prefecture promoting tourism, crimes like this cannot be tolerated.”

The prefecture handed to the Foreign Ministry’s local office and the Okinawa Defense Bureau written requests demanding that the U.S. forces in Okinawa tighten its military discipline, thoroughly educate their personnel, and make efforts to prevent a reccurrence. The document also called on the U.S. military to report implemented measures.

Past related articles:
> Naha City Assembly protests frequent crimes by US military personnel [June 16, 2015]
> Okinawa prefectural assembly calls for measures against frequent incidents and crimes involving US forces [February 26, 2015]