US sailors jailed for up to 10 years over Okinawa rape
Hefty jail terms handed out for brutal rape of young woman reignites anger against the American military in Japan
Two US sailors who raped a Japanese woman in Okinawa last October were jailed on Friday for a crime that reignited long-smouldering anger against the American military in Japan.
The Naha District Court in Okinawa said Seaman Christopher Browning, 24, should go to prison for 10 years for the brutal rape of the young woman, from whom he also stole 7,000 yen (US$75).
Petty officer third class Skyler Dozierwalker, 23, was jailed for nine years, also for raping the woman before dawn in a car park.
Browning and Dozierwalker, who were not stationed in Okinawa, had been drinking on the evening of the attack, and “were contemptible and violent”, Judge Hideyuki Suzuki said.
The ruling may seem severe, but the damage to the feelings of the victim and residents is more severe
“The ruling may seem severe, but the damage to the feelings of the victim and residents is more severe,” he said in a statement after the case, according to Kyodo News.
During an earlier court appearance the two men had admitted the rape, which caused outrage on the sub-tropical islands and beyond, and led to a nationwide night-time curfew on all US military personnel in Japan.