Japanese police on May 22, 2026, recommended a sexual assault charge against a soldier assigned to the U.S. Army’s 38th Air Artillery Brigade at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. (Keishi Koja/ Stars and Stripes)
Japanese police have referred a U.S. soldier to prosecutors over allegations he sexually assaulted and injured a woman on Okinawa last month, the latest in a string of cases involving American service members on the island since late 2023.
The soldier — an unidentified man in his 20s — is accused of sexually assaulting a woman older than 18 and hurting her arm somewhere on Okinawa’s main island, according to Okinawa Prefectural Police.
Police referred the case to the Naha Public Prosecutors Office on Friday, a spokesman for that office said by phone Tuesday. Prosecutors, not police, decide charges under Japan’s legal system.
The accused soldier is assigned to Echo Battery, 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Kadena Air Base, U.S. Army Japan spokeswoman Maj. LeeAnn Sagucio said by phone Tuesday.
He is still at Kadena, she wrote in a follow-up email.
Police allege the soldier sexually assaulted the woman outdoors, then injured her, a police spokesman said by phone Tuesday. Authorities provided no further information on time or place.
Some Japanese government officials must speak to the media on condition of anonymity.
While fleeing the scene by car, the soldier allegedly struck a roadside barrier but failed to report the crash, the spokesman said. A passerby later contacted authorities after speaking with the woman.
Investigators said the soldier and the woman knew each other.
The soldier voluntarily submitted to questioning, and investigators reviewed surveillance footage from nearby cameras, the police spokesman said.
“The U.S. Army continuously reinforces standards of conduct and the responsibilities of all personnel as guests in Japan,” Sagucio wrote in her email. “We are committed to maintaining the trust and confidence of our Japanese hosts and the local community.”
The Okinawa prefectural government was informed of the case Friday evening, a Military Base Affairs Division spokesman said by phone Tuesday.
Gov. Denny Tamaki’s executive office later contacted the Okinawa Defense Bureau, an arm of Japan’s Ministry of Defense, to express concern over the allegation.
Kazuhiro Tarama, director of the governor’s executive office, told the bureau Monday that it was “extremely regrettable that such an incident has come to light,” the division spokesman said.
The prefecture also requested that the U.S. military implement stronger preventive measures.
The allegation comes as Okinawa courts continue handling multiple sexual assault cases involving U.S. service members filed since December 2023.
In December 2024, the Naha District Court convicted Senior Airman Brennon Washington of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a minor. In June, Marine Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton was convicted of strangling and attempting to sexually assault a Japanese woman.
The case against Marine Pfc. Austin Wedington goes to trial next month, and a fourth case, against Marine Lance Cpl. Michael Hofmaster, is still pending.
In response to the string of alleged assaults, U.S. Forces Japan imposed stricter liberty rules in October 2024, including a ban on off-base drinking between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. and police patrols of nightlife districts in Naha and Okinawa city.
