Off the wire
• Is G7 mechanism still relevant enough to tackle current global, regional issues? xhne.ws/NdIUN  • Japan's foreign minister calls A-bombings extremely regrettable as calls for Obama apology heats up  • Roundup: Baltimore officer acquitted in Freddie Gray death  • 4 world leaders discuss settlement of Ukraine crisis  • (Fukushima Aftermath) Interview: Japan should learn lessons from Chernobyl -- Russian expert  • Cambodia sets date for commune councilor elections  • News Analysis: Taliban leader's death widens cracks in fragmented group as gov't gears up to exploit situation for peace  • Heavy rain continues in south, east China  • Interview: G20 summit host China labelled as "symbol of economic leadership"  • Shanghai customs sees surge in seafood import  
You are here: 　 Home

Backgrounder: Rape involving the U.S. military in Japan's Okinawa in past 20 years

Xinhua, May 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

A massive rally is expected in Japan's Okinawa against the rape and killing of a 20-year-old woman allegedly by a male civilian working for the U.S. military in the prefecture. Following is a brief chronology of similar cases of rape involving the U.S. military in Okinawa in the past two decades:

March 2016 -- Local police arrested 24-year-old Justin Castellanos, a seaman at the U.S. Navy's Camp Schwab in northern Okinawa, over the allegation that he took a female traveler in her 40s to his hotel room in Naha, capital of Okinawa, and raped her.

November 2012 -- Japanese prosecutors indicted two U.S. servicemen -- Seaman Christopher Browning and Petty Officer 3rd Class Skyler Dozierwalker -- on charges of raping and injuring a Japanese woman in Okinawa.

February 2008 -- A U.S. staff sergeant, Tyrone Hadnott, was arrested after being accused of raping a 14-year-old girl inside a car parked on a street in Chatan, Okinawa. He was later released as the girl dropped accusation, but the U.S. Marine Corps conducted its own investigation, charging Hadnott with crimes including rape, making a false official statement and kidnapping.

December 2002 -- The police department of Okinawa issued an arrest warrant against U.S. Marine Maj. Michael Brown, who was accused of attempted rape and damaging private articles. The U.S. side refused to hand him over to the police.

September 1995 -- Three U.S. servicemen -- Marines Rodrico Harp and Kendrick Ledet and Navy Seaman Marcus Gill -- were convicted of the abduction and rape of a 12-year-old elementary schoolgirl. Gill pleaded guilty to the rape, while the other two pleaded guilty to conspiracy. The three, who served prison terms in Japanese prisons, were released in 2003 and then given dishonorable discharges from the U.S. military. Endi