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A United States airman is suspected of assaulting a young boy yesterday on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, authorities said.
The incident comes just two weeks after a curfew was imposed on all 52,000 US troops in Japan over the arrest of two Navy sailors for allegedly raping a local woman.
Authorities on Okinawa said the 24-year-old airman was suspected of entering an apartment and punching the 13-year-old boy before breaking a TV set and trying to escape through a third-floor window.
The airman – whose name has not been released – fell and was taken to a military hospital.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry said the Government had lodged a formal complaint with US Ambassador John Roos. “This is unforgivable,” Defence Minister Satoshi Morimoto said.
Military-related crime is an emotional issue on Okinawa, and all US troops in Japan were put under a curfew from 11pm to 5am after the sailors were arrested for the alleged rape there on October 16.
Yesterday’s incident is believed to have occurred at about 1am. The airman reportedly had been drinking in a bar on the building’s first floor.
“It is extremely regrettable when an alleged incident like this occurs,” said Colonel Brian McDaniel, the vice commander of Kadena’s 18th Wing. “We are fully co-operating with Okinawan authorities on this investigation to ensure justice is served.”
Local opposition to the US bases over noise, safety and crime flared into mass protests after the 1995 rape of a schoolgirl by three American servicemen.
The outcry led to an agreement to close a major Marine airfield, but the plan has stalled for more than a decade over where a replacement facility should be located.
More than half of all US troops in Japan are stationed on Okinawa, and the recent incidents have further inflamed tensions and distrust.
About 1300 people held a protest this week over the alleged October rape and the deployment of the Marine Corps’ MV-22 Osprey to a base there. Many Okinawans believe the aircraft isn’t safe to operate over their crowded cities.
– AP
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