NAHA--Okinawa prefectural government officials expressed outrage over being left in the dark about allegations that a U.S. serviceman had sexually assaulted a minor.

The suspected attack against the girl occurred on the night of Dec. 24, 2023. The suspect, Brennon R.E. Washington, 25, was indicted by the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office on March 27.

However, the prefectural government said it had no knowledge of the case until a local broadcaster reported it on June 25.

Central government officials and law-enforcement authorities said they did not immediately disclose the case to protect the privacy of the girl.

However, prefectural officials and observers say something else might have been behind the silence.

“The central government says it was protecting the victim, but I wonder if it was the U.S. military that it tried to protect,” said Suzuyo Takasato, co-chair of a citizens’ group called women’s action against bases and military forces.

NO APOLOGY

Nicholas Evans, commander of the Kadena Air Base where the suspect was stationed, and Matthew Dolbow, the U.S. consulate general in Naha, visited the Okinawa prefectural government’s office in Naha on June 27.

It was the first time for the U.S. side to explain the case to the prefectural government.

Evans said the U.S. military has cooperated in the investigation and will continue to do so for the trial. He also said he deeply regrets the concerns the incident is causing for local residents.

Okinawa Vice Governor Takekuni Ikeda, who met the two Americans, said: “The inhumane and despicable crime is a grave and malicious violation of the victim’s human rights. It is absolutely unforgivable and deeply upsetting.”

Ikeda demanded measures be immediately taken to prevent a recurrence and that details of the crime be made public to the people of the prefecture.

The meeting ended in about 15 minutes, and Evans left the room without offering an apology for the incident or saying why the U.S. explanation came so late.

According to the prefectural government, the U.S. military informed Okinawa officials on June 26 that Washington was released on bail and is now at the Kadena base, which is located in Okinawa city and the towns of Kadena and Chatan.

Measures have been taken to prevent him from leaving the Air Force base, the military said.

His trial will start on July 12 at the Naha District Court.

PRIVACY CONCERNS

According to the indictment, Washington kidnapped the underage girl at a park in the central part of Okinawa’s main island on the night of Dec. 24, 2023. He drove her to his home and sexually assaulted her, knowing she was under 16, the age of consent in Japan, the indictment said.

Naha prosecutors indicted him on March 27, and the U.S. military handed him over to Japanese authorities the same day in accordance with the Status of Forces Agreement.

Normally, Japanese police issue a press release when a suspect is arrested. But in this case, Washington was apparently first taken into custody by the U.S. military, and he was referred to Naha prosecutors for indictment instead of arrest.

Although police sometimes make an announcement when a suspect is referred to prosecutors, Okinawa prefectural police did not do so for Washington.

“This is a sexual crime case, so we decided not to make a public announcement from the standpoint of victim protection,” a police official said.

On the day of the indictment, Masataka Okano, a vice minister at the Foreign Ministry, sent a protest to U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel.

But the Foreign Ministry did not inform the prefectural government of the case at that time.

“Matters involving the privacy of victims require careful handling, and we do not believe that it is always necessary to inform all relevant authorities without exception,” Maki Kobayashi, a ministry press secretary, said at a news conference on June 26.

Crimes perpetrated by U.S. military personnel in Okinawa Prefecture often spark huge and prolonged protests by residents, especially if the victim is a minor.

When such incidents occur, the prefecture has traditionally asked the U.S. military and the central government take disciplinary action and other measures to prevent a recurrence. The prefecture also calls on residents to exercise caution.

The prefecture said it was never given the opportunity to warn residents in the Washington case.

Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki told reporters on June 26 that the central government “could have alerted people of the prefecture about the case while withholding personal information.”

The prefecture keeps detailed records of damage caused by U.S. bases from the standpoint of reducing Okinawa’s burden of hosting the majority of U.S. military facilities in Japan.

“We don’t even know if the U.S. military has implemented measures to tighten discipline and prevent a recurrence, for which speed is critical,” a senior prefectural official said angrily.

The Okinawa prefectural chapter of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party also found the central government’s response problematic.

“The fact that the prefectural government was not informed of the incident for nearly three months is out of the norm,” Dai Shimabukuro, secretary-general of the chapter, said.

Hiromori Maedomari, a professor at Okinawa International University who specializes in U.S. base issues, said the fact that the prefecture learned about the incident through a media report indicates “there may be other undisclosed U.S. military incidents.”

“The case is being handled over the heads of Okinawa Prefecture, and I even sense a political agenda on the part of the central government,” he said.

(This article was combined from reports written by Taro Ono, Satsuki Tanahashi, Kazuki Uechi and Anri Takahashi.)