November 20, 2025
The Okinawa Prefectural Police on November 7 sent to the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office the allegation of indecent assault against a Japanese teenage girl involving a U.S. Navy sailor stationed in Okinawa, Akahata learned on November 19.
Informed by the police about the case three days earlier, the prefectural authority on November 10 made a verbal request to the U.S. Navy, the Defense Ministry Okinawa Defense Bureau, and the Foreign Ministry Okinawa Office, demanding the implementation of effective measures and providing thorough guidance in regard to sexual assault to U.S. military personnel.
According to the prefectural police, the incident occurred in June of this year. A U.S. sailor in his 20s at an outdoor location in Okinawa committed indecent acts against a teenage girl, such as touching her body. The two had no acquaintance with each other. When the girl screamed for help, the sailor fled the scene. In response to an emergency call from a person who heard the scream, the police arrived at the scene and heard the girl’s account of the incident.
In 2024 in Okinawa, cases of sexual violence against women by U.S. military personnel were revealed one after another. More and more Okinawans raised their voices in protest and called for the prevention of a recurrence. The U.S. military in April 2025 began conducting joint patrols with the prefectural police in Okinawa and Naha cities in the name of “crime prevention”.
However, the prefectural police data shows that in 2025, between January and October, the number of cases in which U.S. servicemen were arrested for criminal offenses reached 82, breaking the previous record.
Past related article:
> US military’s anti-crime joint patrol with Okinawa police, superficial performance [April 22, 2025]
Informed by the police about the case three days earlier, the prefectural authority on November 10 made a verbal request to the U.S. Navy, the Defense Ministry Okinawa Defense Bureau, and the Foreign Ministry Okinawa Office, demanding the implementation of effective measures and providing thorough guidance in regard to sexual assault to U.S. military personnel.
According to the prefectural police, the incident occurred in June of this year. A U.S. sailor in his 20s at an outdoor location in Okinawa committed indecent acts against a teenage girl, such as touching her body. The two had no acquaintance with each other. When the girl screamed for help, the sailor fled the scene. In response to an emergency call from a person who heard the scream, the police arrived at the scene and heard the girl’s account of the incident.
In 2024 in Okinawa, cases of sexual violence against women by U.S. military personnel were revealed one after another. More and more Okinawans raised their voices in protest and called for the prevention of a recurrence. The U.S. military in April 2025 began conducting joint patrols with the prefectural police in Okinawa and Naha cities in the name of “crime prevention”.
However, the prefectural police data shows that in 2025, between January and October, the number of cases in which U.S. servicemen were arrested for criminal offenses reached 82, breaking the previous record.
Past related article:
> US military’s anti-crime joint patrol with Okinawa police, superficial performance [April 22, 2025]
