Prosecutor charges US pilot on Okinawa with sexual abuse of a minor

Gate 2 at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan, taken on February 18, 2024. (Jessi Roth/US Air Force)

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa – Japanese prosecutors have charged a U.S. soldier at Kadena Air Base with kidnapping and sexually abusing a minor in December.

On March 27, prosecutors charged 25-year-old pilot Brennon RE Washington with sexual abduction and non-consensual sexual intercourse.

Neither police nor prosecutors had released any information about the charges against the pilot before scheduling his hearing at the Naha District Court for Monday, July 12.

According to the indictment from the Naha District Prosecutors’ Office, Washington approached the girl in a park in Yomitan Village on December 24 “with the intention of kidnapping her and committing indecent acts on her.”

The Okinawa Prosecutor’s Office and the Okinawa Prefectural Police declined to provide further details of the investigation on Wednesday.

Stars and Stripes was unable to reach Washington on Wednesday for comment on the charges against him. Police and prosecutors did not confirm Japanese media reports that the pilot was in custody. His lawyer’s contact information was not available on Wednesday.

The prosecution claims that the pilot lured the minor into his car with the words “Let’s talk in the car, it’s cold.”

From the park, he drove the girl to his house off base, where he sexually abused her despite knowing she was under 16, the indictment states.

A person who knows the girl reported the incident to police the same day, a prefectural police spokesman told Stars and Stripes by phone on Wednesday.

“We have conducted investigations in cooperation with US authorities,” the spokesman said. The case was referred to the public prosecutor’s office on March 11.

Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki said the incident “not only raises great concern among local people, but also violates the dignity of women,” a spokeswoman for the prefecture’s military base affairs department told Stars and Stripes by phone on Wednesday. “Given that the victim is a minor and I am responsible for the safety of the prefecture’s citizens, I am deeply outraged and find this extremely regrettable.”

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi used the same words at a press conference on Tuesday, telling reporters the incident was “extremely regrettable.”

Hayashi confirmed that Masataka Okano, Japan’s deputy foreign minister, protested to U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel on the day the pilot was charged.

The U.S. Embassy in Japan referred questions from Stars and Stripes to the 18^th Squadron at Kadena Air Base.

The wing confirmed on Wednesday that an airman had been charged with sexual assault.

“Squadron leadership is deeply concerned about the seriousness of this alleged crime and has worked diligently with local authorities to thoroughly investigate the allegations while ensuring due process under applicable laws and agreements,” squadron spokesman 1st Lt. Alvin G. Nelson 3rd said via email Wednesday. “All U.S. service members are expected to adhere to the highest standards and the U.S. military is committed to holding those convicted of criminal conduct accountable.”