Pentagon aiding probe of alleged rape of Okinawa woman by two U.S. sailors

Some 50 civic group members hold banners protesting alleged rape of local woman by two U.S. servicemen in Okinawa / YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images

TOKYO The U.S. military is cooperating with Japanese police investigating allegations that two U.S. sailors raped a woman on Okinawa.

The incident has sparked protests from the Japanese government and an outcry on Okinawa, which hosts more than half the 47,000 U.S. troops in Japan.

Cmdr. Kenneth Marshall, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy in Japan, said military authorities are cooperating with and supporting the investigation by Okinawan police, who on Tuesday arrested the two sailors accused of raping the woman. Police have handed over the investigation to prosecutors to decide whether to press formal charges.

Marshall says the Naval Criminal Investigative Service has also launched its own investigation, although Japan has primary jurisdiction.

The suspects, Seaman Christopher Browning and Petty Officer 3rd Class Skyler Dozierwalker, of Joint Naval Air Station, Fort Worth, Texas, were on Okinawa on a brief stopover, the Pentagon says.

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According to Japanese media, they had been drinking before they attacked the woman, in her 20s, who was on her way home before dawn Tuesday.

Browning and Dozierwalker are both 23 and enlisted in 2008. They were assigned to the Fort Worth base the same year. Base spokesman Don Ray declined to comment on the men's arrests.

The arrests led to immediate anger on Okinawa, which recently saw massive protests against plans to deploy the Marine Corps' MV-22 Osprey to a base there, because of safety concerns.

Japan's defense minister said he was deeply concerned about the allegations and suggested the U.S. take more measures to prevent such attacks.

"This is a very serious crime," Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto told reporters Wednesday.

Morimoto said the case follows another sexual assault in August, and he indicated he was considering discussing the matter with U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

Okinawa Gov. Kazuhiro Nakaima, who has been in Tokyo since earlier this week, said the United States should worry about the consequences of repeated crime by U.S. servicemen on the island, where people already resent their presence.

"It could damage Japan-U.S. security alliance unless there is dramatic improvement," Nakaima said. "We want the U.S. government and its military to take measures that are far severer than a disciplinary measure or something lenient like that."

Tensions between the U.S. military and their Okinawan hosts are endemic, and base-related crimes are a particularly sensitive issue.

Local opposition to the U.S. bases over noise, safety concerns and crime flared into mass protests after the 1995 rape of a schoolgirl by three American servicemen. That outcry eventually led to an agreement to close a major Marine airfield, but that plan has stalled for more than a decade over where a replacement facility should be located.

Concerned that anti-base sentiment on Okinawa could swell, Vice Foreign Minister Shuji Kira lodged a protest with U.S. Ambassador John Roos, who promised full cooperation with the investigation.

"The United States government is extremely concerned by recent allegations of misconduct by two individual United States service members," Roos said in a statement. "We are committed to cooperating fully with the Japanese authorities in their investigation. ... These allegations, given their seriousness, will continue to command my full personal attention."

He said he understands the anger in Okinawa and the rest of Japan and promised to "work our hearts out to earn the trust of the Okinawan people and the people of Japan."

Okinawa prefectural spokesman Susumu Matayoshi said the suspected rape "shocked all Okinawans and is unforgivable."

[Luna_Fortuna]

Former Marine, and I used to be stationed in Japan. I responded to this article on my blog: http://unicorninuniform.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/u-s-military-in-japan-faces-curfew-in-response-to-rape-allegation/

[jsaeflemming]

I live on the island. My husband is attached to a Marine Unit here. We just returned to this island in July. Previously we lived here from 05'- to 09'. This is a great country, one that we wanted to come back too. According to local papers the girl was walking home from work when she was attacked. It does not seem to be the case that she was partying with these two guys. From experience why these two junior enlisted were even permitted to be off base in a hotel is very unusual. There are very strict policies put in place for service members and their families for these reasons. There are even stricter policies for junior enlisted. One they were way out past the time of permitted curfew and two how or why they were off at an off base hotel is questionable. The culture here is very different and these types of things rarely happen in the local sector. I am not saying that there are not nationals capable of this sort of violent crime but it is very uncommon amongst the Okinawans and Japanese culture. These incidents infuriate me b/c how dare someone decided to force or take something from this woman! Who gave them the right to make that decision and there is no need, there are plenty of Okinawan girls on the island that would easily give it up b/c they love military men here! It is senseless. Second, it makes it hard for the rest of us that work hard to develop a relationship with the nationals. The experience here is like no other and quite refreshing from the United States were you have to constantly worry about your children getting kidnapped, molested or killed. America has an epidemic of sick people and I could not wait to leave the United States to come back to this country and then sick people like this run it for the rest of us.

[CPTALLEN]

when you have uneducated redneck/hillbillies from the red states as majority in the military, you are GOING TO HAVE incidents like this. as a NCO then as an officer in US ARMY INFANTRY this crap happened all the time ROK ( Republic of Korea ). these soldiers have entrenched misogynistic attitude toward Asian women through centuries of racist imperialistic attitude of whites toward " orientals " it is in the US HISTORY, Cinema, TV, Novels etc.

[quincytodd]

The Pentagon needs to do more that that, I mean, pull all U.S. military personel out of Japan altogether and if the Japanese are so adamant on having foreign troops on their soil, then let the Chinese troops replace ours there! But most of all, let's prosecute the filthy rats who raped those two women and just ignore any Tea Partying dimwit who may take up for them!

[AOCGUY]

"They want the money but they WANT to complain"

So far the responses to this article, although predictable are pretty sad. Let's look at this another way. The USAF trains Japanese AWACS operators at Tinker AFB outside of Oklahoma City, OK. So should a couple of Japanese airmen hit the bars on night in MidWest City, come upon a young American girl walking home and assualt her woudl your response be the same? I somehow doubt it. Rape is rape. Doesn't matter who is doing it or who they are doing it to.

[Well_You_Aint_Me]

Pull our military, and the $$ they bring to the local economy, off the island, let the Japanese take care of it alone. We can always return if they are invited.

Simple problem, simple solution.

And, NO, I am not saying that the alleged rape shouldn't be prosecuted, of course it should be prosecuted. But if our military weren't there then this crime wouldn't have occurred.

Simple problem, simple solution.

[matt6052]

This exact same story runs every five or six years.