Unacceptable

Rape on Okinawa continues to reoccur and "tighter military discipline" has been promised and broken time and time again.

What does loose discipline mean? A weak military, despite all technological advances.



February 28, 2008
Rice Offers Regret Over Alleged Rape

By MARTIN FACKLER
TOKYO — Hoping to prevent outrage here from harming ties between the United States and Japan, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed deep regret on Wednesday over a case in which an American marine is accused of raping a 14-year-old Japanese girl on Okinawa.

Ms. Rice stopped here on the final leg of an Asian trip intended to find ways to contain North Korea's nuclear program. She also visited South Korea and China. She ordered her top Asia adviser, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher R. Hill, to remain to study China's new proposals on North Korea's program.

But in Japan, she spent much of her time trying to control diplomatic damage from the rape case and recent alcohol-related arrests of American servicemen on Okinawa, where most of the more than 40,000 American troops here are based. Japan is a major ally in Washington's bid to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions.

The accused marine, Staff Sgt. Tyrone Luther Hadnott, 38, has denied raping the girl, but the case has inflamed anger over the American military presence. It has also revived bitter memories of the 1995 rape of a 12-year-old girl by three American servicemen in Okinawa, which set off huge protests and forced Washington to consider relocating some of its forces on the island.

"We certainly hope that there will not be lasting effects; it's a longstanding and strong alliance," Ms. Rice told reporters. "Our concern right now is to see that justice is done, to get to the bottom of it, and our concern is for the girl and her family. We really, really deeply regret it."

Japan's prime minister, Yasuo Fukuda, has called the episode "unforgivable" and demanded tighter military discipline. The United States responded by restricting military personnel and their families in Japan to bases, homes and workplaces.

On Wednesday, Japan's foreign minister, Masahiko Komura, said the case had hurt ties, but he also sounded a conciliatory note by saying that improving relations with Washington was in the interest of both countries.

Ms. Rice met with Mr. Fukuda, Mr. Komura and Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, promising that the United States would do everything possible to prevent such episodes from occurring.

Speaking about her trip to Asia, Ms. Rice said there had been promising developments on the North Korean issue, including the Chinese proposals, the details of which she did not disclose.