Tokyo — Japan's government is calling for stricter oversight of U.S. troops stationed in the country after a soldier was charged over the a

U.S. soldier in Japan charged with sexually assaulting teenage girl in Okinawa

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2024-06-30 15:00:05

Tokyo — Japan's government is calling for stricter oversight of U.S. troops stationed in the country after a soldier was charged over the alleged sexual assault of a Japanese teenager in Okinawa. Prosecutors in the southern island region charged the U.S. soldier in March, top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters on Tuesday.

Local media said the 25-year-old man had been accused of assault, adding that he knew the girl was under 16, the age of consent in Japan.

The government expressed "regret" to U.S. Ambassador Rahm Emanuel over the incident and called for stronger oversight of behavior by military personnel, Hayashi said.

Okinawa accounts for just 0.6% of Japan's land mass but hosts about 70% of all the U.S. military bases and facilities in the country.

A litany of base-related woes has long grieved Okinawans, from pollution and noise to helicopter crashes and COVID-19 outbreaks , leading to complaints that they bear the brunt of hosting troops.