TOKYO: Authorities in Okinawa have launched investigations into two U.S. Marines over separate sexual assault allegations, further fueling public outrage in a region already tense over the U.S. military presence.
Okinawa, a strategic island east of Taiwan, hosts the majority of the approximately 54,000 American military personnel stationed in Japan. It has long been a flashpoint for friction between local residents and the U.S. forces.
According to a local police official, one Marine in his 20s is suspected of raping a Japanese woman on a U.S. military installation in March. He is also accused of injuring a second woman who reportedly attempted to intervene during the assault.
A second Marine, also in his 20s, is under investigation for allegedly raping another Japanese woman at a base in January. Both cases have been handed over to prosecutors.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass assured that Washington would offer full cooperation during the investigation. βWe are committed to maintaining the trust and friendship that define our longstanding relationship with the Japanese people,β he said.
In response to the incidents, American military personnel joined local officials and Okinawan residents in a rare joint night patrol through a nightlife district β the first such operation since 1973. This initiative follows a series of troubling assaults involving U.S. servicemen in the area.
In 2023, a 21-year-old Marine faced rape charges, and earlier that year, a 25-year-old soldier was accused of sexually assaulting a girl under 16.
Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki condemned the recent incidents as “shameful” and vowed to push for stronger preventive measures from the U.S. military, according to Japanese media outlets.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi declined to comment directly on the ongoing cases but emphasized during a press briefing that any crimes committed by foreign troops on Japanese soil are “intolerable.”
Local reports say the March assault occurred in a restroom and that the second woman was hurt while attempting to prevent the attack.
Tensions over U.S. bases in Okinawa have simmered for decades. In 2023 alone, 80 U.S. military-related individuals faced criminal charges in the region, local authorities noted.
One of the most notorious incidents occurred in 1995, when three U.S. servicemen gang-raped a 12-year-old girl, sparking widespread protests and calls to reevaluate the U.S.-Japan security agreement established in 1960.
