In Japan’s Okinawa, outrage mounts over government silence on sex crimes involving US troops

Protests have erupted across Okinawa following revelations that the Japanese government withheld information about US troops’ sexual assaults on local women, with residents expressing outrage and demanding greater accountability from Tokyo.

There have been a series of demonstrations across the prefecture, home to around 30,000 US military personnel, and local residents have told This Week in Asia that they feel anger is reaching levels similar to those last seen in September 1995, when three US servicemen abducted and repeatedly raped an Okinawan girl aged 12.

That outrage saw hundreds of thousands taking part in protests but, two decades later, critics say they are fighting the same battles. This time, however, much of their fury is aimed at Tokyo.

“The situation is absolutely miserable,” said Shinako Oyakawa, a rights activist who is also involved in local politics in Japan’s southernmost prefecture.

“No one is standing up for us,” she said. “The Japanese government continues to expose the people of Okinawa to this sort of risk and the victims get no help.

“They have told us for decades that the US military is here to protect us, but the opposite is true. People are furious and I hope this can be the turning point for the bases in Okinawa.”

The most recent eruption of anger can be traced back to June 25, when media in Okinawa reported that a US Air Force serviceman had sexually assaulted a teenage girl in December 2023. The suspect was not indicted until late March. On June 28, it was discovered that a US Marine had allegedly injured a woman while attempting to rape her in May. The marine was not indicted until June 17.

Even though both suspects were detained by local police, the Okinawan government was not informed and the