A 27-year-old US Marine was indicted on Wednesday for allegedly raping a girl and injuring one other in a restroom on the American army base in Japan‘s Okinawa Prefecture final month, Kyodo News reported.
Austin Wedington, who had been in US army custody underneath the bilateral Status of Forces Agreement, was transferred to Japanese authorities on the identical day. This settlement outlines the authorized standing and habits of US army personnel in Japan.
Prosecutors haven’t revealed Wedington’s response to the allegations.
On April 7, Okinawa prefectural police referred the case to prosecutors on fees of raping a girl and injuring one other who tried to rescue the sufferer, an Okinawan resident and civilian employee on the base, based on the media outlet.
Japanese authorities had launched an investigation in cooperation with the US army and questioned the Marine on a voluntary foundation.
This is the third case involving allegations of sexual violence by US army personnel in Okinawa since June 2024.
On April 18, US army officers and Japanese police performed joint patrols in Okinawa City’s leisure districts to assist stop additional incidents involving American personnel.
Okinawa hosts 31 US-exclusive army amenities, accounting for 70.3% of such websites in Japan when it comes to land space. The island is residence to roughly half of the 50,000 US troops deployed within the nation underneath a safety pact.
Source: www.anews.com.tr