The Fukuoka High Court’s Naha branch is seen in this Aug. 27, 2020, file photo. (Mainichi/Takayasu Endo)
NAHA, Japan (Kyodo) — A Japanese high court on Wednesday upheld a ruling convicting a U.S. Air Force serviceman in Okinawa Prefecture of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 16 in 2023 and sentencing him to five years in prison.
The Fukuoka High Court’s Naha branch rejected an appeal by the defendant, Brennon Washington, a 26-year-old airman stationed at Kadena Air Base, who maintained he was not guilty.
Washington’s defense counsel argued that the lower court ruling failed to judge the trustworthiness of the girl’s testimony, which not only changed but contradicted her mother’s report of the incident to police.
In handing down the ruling, however, Presiding Judge Takashi Miura said such “discrepancies” could be attributed to the victim’s mental state.
Besides triggering fresh anti-base sentiment in the island prefecture, which hosts the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan, the case also caused controversy as local police and the central government did not disclose it to the prefectural government.
The incident, which came to light through a local media report three months after Washington’s indictment, prompted the central government to review its information-sharing process with local governments so that it notifies them of any crimes allegedly committed by U.S. military members.
Prosecutors had sought a seven-year prison term for Washington, but the Naha District Court sentenced him to five years in prison in December last year.
According to the ruling, Washington asked the girl to come to his car for a chat in a park in the village of Yomitan on Dec. 24, 2023. He then drove her to his residence outside the base and sexually assaulted her.
The victim testified during the trial that she said “stop” in English when he assaulted her.
Against the backdrop of sexual crimes committed by U.S. service members, the Pentagon’s Office of Inspector General announced this month that it will examine the “performance, training, and criminal history” of U.S. Forces Japan service members who have committed violent crimes against Japanese nationals to prevent and address such crimes.
The U.S. military, local police and residents have resumed joint patrols in Okinawa as well to help ensure the safety and security of the local community.
AloJapan.com