US soldier charged in Okinawa for rape of minor
US soldier charged in Okinawa for rape of minor
The case is likely to stoke the long-standing local opposition to US military presence.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/17414080
Glad to see that the US military seems to be cooperating with the investigation, at least.
The US military's refusals in the past to hand over one of their own hurts their credibility and their soft power. No one is above the law, not even the military.
This soldier won't see real repercussions for this. At worst he will he courmarshalled and get a dishonorable discharge and nothing else.
This soldier is currently in Japanese custody, not American.
I was stationed at MCAS Futenma on Okinawa. The US shows no mercy when it comes to crimes against the local residents. Usually the Japanese legal system gets them first then after they spend time in Japanese prison they face the military legal system. We get a whole week of classes when we first get to the island about Japanese culture and they make sure to impress upon how fucked you will be if you cause an international incident. Even minor offenses such as underage drinking are dealt with very harshly. There were two Marines from my squadron sent to Corrective Custody Unit for drinking underage at an off limits bar.
This soldier won’t see real repercussions for this. At worst he will he courmarshalled and get a dishonorable discharge and nothing else.
Uh... A court martial is typically equivalent to a felony. If you're found guilty it's often associated with prison time and civilian felony statuses.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
A US soldier has been charged with the kidnapping and rape of a teenage girl in Okinawa, a Japanese island chain that hosts the region's largest American military base.
The case is likely to stoke the long-standing local opposition to US military presence - the islands are home to more than half of the 54,000 US soldiers serving in Japan.
The anger has also been fuelled by sexual assault cases - one of the most high-profile was in 1995, when a 12-year-old girl was raped by three US service personnel, sparking months-long protests.
The heavy American presence is reflected in the malls, shops and restaurants that serve steak, burgers, tacos and root beer floats across the island chain.
The case led to curfews for US troops all over Japan.There have been efforts to move the US bases to less populated parts of Okinawa, but locals want them removed altogether.Experts, however, say Japan's miliatry alliance with the US is too strong for that to happen.
And they say Tokyo needs Washington given the challenges it faces, be it China's growing claims over disputed waters and islands, or North Korea's barrage of missile tests.
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