US soldier charged in Okinawa for rape of minor

autotldr Bot , 2 days ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

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A US soldier has been charged with the kidnapping and rape of a teenage girl in Okinawa, a Japanese island chain that hosts the region’s largest American military base.

The case is likely to stoke the long-standing local opposition to US military presence - the islands are home to more than half of the 54,000 US soldiers serving in Japan.

The anger has also been fuelled by sexual assault cases - one of the most high-profile was in 1995, when a 12-year-old girl was raped by three US service personnel, sparking months-long protests.

The heavy American presence is reflected in the malls, shops and restaurants that serve steak, burgers, tacos and root beer floats across the island chain.

The case led to curfews for US troops all over Japan.There have been efforts to move the US bases to less populated parts of Okinawa, but locals want them removed altogether.Experts, however, say Japan’s miliatry alliance with the US is too strong for that to happen.

And they say Tokyo needs Washington given the challenges it faces, be it China’s growing claims over disputed waters and islands, or North Korea’s barrage of missile tests.

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