Naha District Court in Naha city, Okinawa, Sept. 10, 2025. (Brian McElhiney/Stars and Stripes)
NAHA, Okinawa — A Japanese High Court on Wednesday upheld a U.S. airman’s conviction for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a minor on Okinawa in December 2024.
Senior Airman Brennon Washington, 26, previously assigned to Kadena Air Base, must serve out the remainder of his five-year sentence in a Japanese prison, a three-judge panel presided over by Judge Takashi Miura ruled at the Naha branch of Fukuoka High Court. Washington received credit for 210 days already served.
Washington appeared before the appellate court on Wednesday looking gaunt and pale. He did not speak.
Miura, from the bench, said the high court found Washington’s appeals to be “without merit.”
A three-judge panel in Naha District Court convicted Washington on Dec. 13 of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl. He immediately appealed the verdict.
The district court found that Washington picked up the girl at a park in Yomitan on Dec. 24, 2023, and took her to his home.
Defense attorney Junji Shimizu argued that Washington’s sentence should be overturned due to “a misinterpretation of the facts,” according to a statement submitted to the high court on Feb. 17.
The district court found that the girl’s testimony was partially corroborated by security footage from the park. The court ruled that Washington knew he did not have consent, citing the girl’s repeated pleas for him to stop.
Japan raised the age of consent in July 2023 from 13 to 16.
Shimizu argued that the district court overlooked changes in the girl’s testimony and inconsistencies with her mother’s testimony. He also argued that the girl showed interest in Washington and did not resist when he kissed her, according to the statement.
Washington testified on Aug. 30, 2024, that he believed the girl was 18 and their interaction was consensual. He also told the court that he did not penetrate her, which Shimizu also included in the appeal.
Miura on Wednesday dismissed Shimizu’s arguments, saying the girl’s testimony was internally consistent.
“There are no circumstances that warrant denying the credibility of [the girl’s] testimony, at least with respect to the core claim that she did not consent in this case,” he said.
The case, along with that of Marine Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton — convicted in July of attempted sexual assault in a separate incident — sparked public outcry and protests from Okinawa officials. In response, U.S. Forces Japan implemented stricter liberty policies for service members.
“Sexual assault is reprehensible, and we share the local community’s outrage over this case,” the 18th Wing at Kadena told Stars and Stripes in an unsigned email Wednesday. “All U.S. service members are expected to always uphold the highest standards of conduct.”
Washington will have 14 days to appeal the high court decision to Japan’s Supreme Court.
Shimizu declined to comment after the sentencing.
AloJapan.com