U.S. Navy Member Suspected of Sex Crime against Okinawa Minor

Naha, Okinawa Pref., Nov. 19 (Jiji Press)–Police in the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa have sent papers on a U.S. Navy member in his 20s to prosecutors over an alleged nonconsensual indecent act against a Japanese minor, the police said Wednesday. The Okinawa prefectural police made the referral on Nov. 7 and notified the prefectural government of the matter the same day. The police did not disclose whether the Navy member has admitted or denied the allegations. He is suspected of touching the body of a Japanese girl under 18 in an outdoor area of Okinawa’s main island in June. A passerby who heard the girl calling for help called police, according to investigators. The man remains under U.S. military control. The case follows a string of sexual assault incidents involving U.S. service members that came to light in June last year, including attacks on girls under 16. The lack of information-sharing with the prefecture became a source of controversy, prompting police to establish a system the following month to notify the prefecture when a U.S. service member is arrested or referred to prosecutors. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]