U.S. Airman in Okinawa Charged in Teen’s Rape

A senior airman has been charged with raping a 14-year-old American girl last month on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, the U.S. Air Force said today.

Tensions between the Okinawans and the U.S. military are already at their highest level after the rape in September of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl, for which three American servicemen are on trial.

In the latest allegations, charges of rape, conducting indecent acts, adultery and wrongfully providing alcohol to minors have been filed against Senior Airman Anthony T. Williams Jr., a spokeswoman for Kadena Air Base said.

The spokeswoman, Lt. Tania Dutko, said the alleged rape was first reported by the victim’s school counselor Dec. 12. Charges were filed Wednesday, and a hearing to determine whether a court-martial will be convened is scheduled for Feb. 7.

Dutko said the teenager is the daughter of an Air Force serviceman stationed in Okinawa. She could not provide more details, including Williams’ hometown.

Unlike the three charged in the September rape, if Williams goes to court he will be tried under the U.S. military system because the rape allegedly occurred on base and involved an American victim. If convicted, he would go to an American prison.

The case comes amid increasing calls for the U.S. military to withdraw from Okinawa, where more than half of the 47,000 U.S. troops in Japan are based. In a full-page ad in today’s New York Times, a Japanese women’s group appealed to the United States to remove military bases from the island, saying that it is the only was to prevent future rapes.

Today’s announcement is the third accusation of rape involving U.S. military personnel in Okinawa since the one in September. No charges have been filed in the two other cases.

Today’s announcement came only after the story was reported in the military newspaper Pacific Stars and Stripes. That report quoted the teenager’s mother as saying the military had dragged its feet in the investigation. The Air Force denied that allegation.

Final arguments in the rape trial of the three U.S. servicemen in the September case are scheduled next week, and a ruling is expected about three weeks later.