A U.S. airman on Okinawa has been accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a Japanese minor, echoing a notorious abduction committed by troops there in the 1990s and potentially stoking long-simmering divisions on the island.
Senior Airman Brennon Washington, who was stationed at Kadena Air Base, was charged for the alleged crimes in March by Japanese authorities after allegedly taking the girl, who was under 16 years old, from a local park on Christmas Eve to his home, according to Japanese media outlets. Washington’s rank and service record was confirmed by the Air Force.
The air base said it could not provide additional information on the case due to an ongoing investigation. Service member crime has long been a problem for the U.S. military‘s relationship with Okinawa, but a 1995 abduction and rape of a 12-year-old Japanese girl by three troops was particularly damaging. That crime triggered an effort to reduce the military’s footprint on the island that is still ongoing.
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“According to the indictment … Brennon Washington, 25, invited the girl to speak to him in his car at a park in Yomitan on Dec. 24 and drove her to his residence before committing indecent acts such as touching the lower half of the girl’s body with the knowledge that she was under 16,” The Mainichi Shimbun, one of Japan‘s largest…
