US soldier, 24, charged with Christmas Eve rape of girl in Japan

A 25-year-old US soldier has been charged with the kidnap and rape of a teenage girl in Okinawa, Japan.

The unnamed Air Force member stationed in Okinawa, a Japanese island chain that hosts the region's largest American military base, is accused of raping a minor who is younger than 16, the legal age of consent in Japan.

The alleged incident occurred on December 24, when security footage identified the soldier after the girl's family reported the assault.

According to local media reports, the off-duty soldier allegedly approached the girl at a park where he asked her to get into his car so they could talk, before driving to his home where the rape occurred. 

A 25-year-old US soldier has been charged with the kidnap and rape of a teenage girl in Okinawa, Japan 

The unnamed Air Force member stationed in Okinawa, a Japanese island chain that hosts the region's largest American military base, is accused of raping a minor who is younger than 16, the legal age of consent in Japan

Japanese authorities formally charged the soldier in late March, and he has been in custody since, Government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi announced on Tuesday

The soldier now faces charges of kidnapping and raping a teenage girl.

Japanese authorities formally charged the soldier in late March, and he has been in custody since, Government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi announced on Tuesday. 

'We will continue to request the US side to prevent such incidents at every opportunity,' Hayashi said. 

He said US officials were cooperating fully with investigators, The BBC reported. 

Okinawa governor Denny Tamaki said the case is 'not just disturbing ... but also a violation of the girl's dignity,' which brought forth 'a significant level of distrust.' 

The incident comes years after another US Marine was accused of raping and murdering a woman on Okinawa

Kenneth Franklin Shinzato, 33, a former Marine who worked at Kadena Air Base, was found guilty of abandoning the body of Rina Shimabukuro, 20, who was found in a forest, three weeks after disappearing while on a walk

This incident has triggered a renewed anger over the American military presence in Japan - which hosts the world's largest American military forces outside the US, with approximately 30,000 American soldiers stationed across Okinawa

The incident comes years after another US Marine was accused of raping and murdering a woman on Okinawa. 

Kenneth Franklin Shinzato, 33, a former Marine who worked at Kadena Air Base, was found guilty of abandoning the body of Rina Shimabukuro, 20, who was found in a forest, three weeks after disappearing while on a walk. 

Shinzato was accused of hitting Shimabukuro in the head with a club, before raping and fatally stabbing her in April 2016. He was sentenced to life in prison.

This incident has triggered a renewed anger over the American military presence in Japan - which hosts the world's largest American military forces outside the US, with approximately 30,000 American soldiers stationed across Okinawa.