U.S. Marine commits another rape in Okinawa

In Okinawa, an island crowded with U.S. military bases, news about another rape allegedly committed by a U.S. Marine is horrifying townspeople.

Mass media reported on June 12 that a 21-year-old U.S. Marine lance corporal stationed at U.S. Camp Hansen was being questioned by Okinawa Prefectural Police on suspicion of raping a 19-year-old woman in Kin Town on the early morning of May 25.

Police may request a warrant for arresting the suspect and may demand that the U.S. forces hand the suspect over to the Japanese authority even before he is indicted.

Since the 1995 gang rape of a 12-year-old-girl by U.S. Marines, the number of crimes committed by U.S. military personnel in Okinawa has been increasing. In 2002, it reached 100 cases, the largest in the past 11 years.

Okinawa's women are infuriated by the latest rape, saying that they are afraid of going out alone after dark. Okinawans say, "Such a crime must not be condoned for the sake of human rights."

The Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement allows the U.S. Forces to retain within U.S. bases suspects who committed crimes outside of U.S. bases until they are formally indicted. Following the 1995 rape incident, the United States agreed to give "sympathetic consideration" to the handover of suspects to Japanese authorities in serious crimes such as murder and rape even before indictment.

Since then, however, there have been only two cases in Japan in which the United States handed over the suspects to Japan. In an attempted rape in Gushikawa City in November 2002, the U.S. forces refused to hand over to Japan a U.S. Marine major who denied committing the alleged act. (end)