US Airman Charged With Kidnap, Sexual Assault in Japan

A US Air Force member is in the custody of Japanese authorities, charged with kidnapping and sexually assaulting a girl in Okinawa in December. According to an indictment released this week, 25-year-old airman Brennon Washington approached the underage girl in a park on Dec. 24 "with the purpose of kidnapping and conducting indecent acts on her," Stars and Stripes reports. He allegedly lured her into his car and sexually assaulted her at his off-base home. Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said Tuesday that Washington has been in the custody of Japanese authorities since he was charged in late March, reports the BBC.

"We will continue to request the US side to prevent such incidents at every opportunity," Hayashi said. The girl was between 13 and 15 years old at the time of the incident, a source close to the investigation tells the Mainichi. Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki said he only learned about the case on Tuesday because the foreign and defense ministries had not told him about it, the Japan Times reports. "Not only does it cause anxiety among the residents of the prefecture, who are forced to live side by side with the base, but it also tramples on the dignity of women, especially considering the fact that the victim is a minor," he said.

Around 30,000 US troops are stationed in Okinawa and numerous previous incidents have led to protests from the island's residents, including the kidnapping and rape of a 12-year-old girl by three servicemen in 1995. A spokesman for the 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base told Stars and Stripes that "leadership is deeply concerned by the severity of this alleged crime and has worked diligently with local authorities to investigate the allegations thoroughly while ensuring due legal process under applicable laws and agreements." (More Okinawa stories.)