U.S. soldier in Okinawa referred to prosecutors for sexual assault in April

NAHA — A U.S. soldier stationed in Okinawa was referred to prosecutors by local police on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman and injuring her in April, an investigative source said Saturday.

The source did not say whether the man in his 20s admitted to the allegations before the referral on Friday. He was arrested after the woman reported the incident to the police through a third party.

The man remains in U.S. custody under the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, the source said.

Under the agreement, Japan has the primary right to exercise jurisdiction over crimes committed by off-duty U.S. service members, but suspects generally remain in U.S. custody until they are indicted, except in cases such as arrests made at crime scenes.

The allegations against the soldier include sexually assaulting the woman outdoors and later causing injuries, including bruising to her arm.

The man is also suspected of striking a guardrail on a road with a car while fleeing the scene of the assault and failing to report the accident to police.

According to the source, the prefectural police and the U.S. side had been cooperatively investigating the matter, questioning the suspect on a voluntary basis. The police notified the prefectural government on Friday.

Since 2024, a series of sexual crimes involving U.S. service members in the southern prefecture has come to light. Two such cases were kept secret from the local government by the Japanese government and the Okinawa police until they were reported by the media in June that year, prompting a review of the information-sharing framework.

Okinawa Prefecture hosts the bulk of U.S. military installations in Japan, and anti-base sentiment runs deep due to aircraft noise, pollution and crimes committed by American service members.

© KYODO