TOKYO, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) — Japanese residents on Friday night gathered exterior the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo to protest sexual violence by U.S. army personnel stationed within the nation.
Earlier within the day, a U.S. Air Force serviceman was sentenced to 5 years in jail by the Naha District Court for abducting and sexually assaulting a Japanese woman underneath 16 in Okinawa in December 2023.
Protesters condemned the act, stating that sexual violence by U.S. army personnel is insupportable and {that a} five-year jail time period is much too lenient in comparison with the struggling endured by the sufferer.
They additionally criticized the Japanese central authorities and police for failing to supply case-related info to the Okinawa prefectural authorities. Protesters demanded accountability from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for concealing particulars of the case.
Criminal incidents involving U.S. army personnel in Japan have been a long-standing situation. According to Okinawa Prefecture statistics, roughly 6,200 legal circumstances involving U.S. army personnel and their dependents have been recorded in Okinawa from 1972 to 2023, together with severe offenses comparable to homicide, rape, and theft.