New Marine Underage Rape Case

[Big Booger]

Perhaps the military needs to educate its soldiers on distinguishing 14 year olds from those of age....

If she's got no wrinkles on her neck, then it's not safe. or something like that. *Stretch marks on the lips [both] are to be ignored.

[joshuaism]

You ought to try to get the movie rights to your story. If you believe so much in this young innocent, why don't you go to Shibuya and report to the press on the army of 14-16's waiting to haul your ashes, or suck your flopper for strangely enough, the exact price of one brand name article of clothing, or handbag. I think it would make a nice touching follow up story

Maybe this marine was in the wrong which is always very bad, but maybe he was dumb and would not pay her rental fee, which was eqaually stupid.

Oh, so fucking a 14 yr. old is all fine and good when money changes hands?

It could be this girl was whoring herself out for some brand-name goods, I mean she did just come from a fashion show (reported here). But so what? Hiring a prostitute is still illegal, especially when she is underage. Hadnott admits to forcing a kiss out of the girl, and if that's the case, he probably tried to get something a little more out of her too. They might not be able to get him for rape, but considering the girls age, they could probably get him on something!

I'm not so naive about Japanese police and court actions against foreigners. Hell, look at Maj. Brown's case, they went ahead with prosecution even after the 'victim' was paid off and recanted her statement against him. Probably the prosecutor didn't want to go forward because there would be outrage if he brought Hadnott up for anything less than rape. Now the military can bring him up on lesser charges, Hadnott still gets prosecuted, and the American military looks like they are tough on crime while the Japanese courts avoid looking weak had they prosecuted the lesser case.

As things are now, military members get to play victim to overzealous outrage over a made-up crime. You are right that most (nearly all) military members are good, decent people and were being unfairly punished. But the 'period of reflection' was meant to teach people they shouldn't stand around, with their eyes, ears, and mouths shut when they see members of their community screwing up. Evil wins when too many good people do nothing. Now, these people might be less likely to speak up if they are worried they'll be punished for another trumped up 'crime' committed by someone else.

Also, the Okinawans looking to get rid of the military bases look bad in this case. They drummed up fear and protests against the bases in a less than stellar case. Regular Japanese are going to be less sympathetic to their cause if they are so reactionary to jump all over a fake crime. Pressure to relocate Okinawan bases will subside and the bases will find it easier to continue their operations there for a while.

Because this girl's family dropped the charges, the military gets to continue their mission on Okinawa with fewer worries. The outrage over this alleged crime will quickly die down and eventually Hadnott will be brought to justice quietly by military courts instead of in the Japanese courts and media.

Now the military gets to look like a victim of false outrage, the military gets to look hard on crime, and the military gets to look like they did something to prevent this kind of crime, real or not, from happening again. You said Hadnott doesn't have enough un-numbered Swiss bank accounts to pay off the girl's family, but the American military does. And it's cheaper to pay off the girl, than to have to relocate all the bases in Okinawa.

[Mulboyne]

AFP: Japan govt vows crackdown on crimes by US military

Japan vowed to crackdown on crimes involving American troops based in the country after a surprise decision by prosecutors not to pursue rape charges against a US Marine, reports said Saturday...Prosecutors said the girl's family had decided not to pursue the allegations against Hadnott as the girl did not want to be part of a high-profile case. Yaichiro Yamashiki, chief public prosecutor in Naha, Okinawa's prefectural capital, was quoted by local media as saying the girl had told investigators: "I don't want to be involved in (the case) any more. Please leave me alone." Japan's Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura confirmed the charges against Hadnott would not be pursued. "Japan will not exercise jurisdiction" in the case, the Maninichi Shimbun quoted him telling reporters. "But can such a case happen again? It's a different story," he said. "We will continue making an effort to take preventive measures together with the US military," he said. Okinawa residents and protesters said they would press ahead with planned rallies in Okinawa, despite the charges against Hadnott having been dropped...more...

[Greji]

doesn't have enough un-numbered Swiss bank accounts to pay off the girl's family, but the American military does. And it's cheaper to pay off the girl, than to have to relocate all the bases in Okinawa.

Well, I don't suppose there's much more to say to an expert on military affairs and one who has such inside knowledge on how they're always able to buy their way out of such incidents!

[Catoneinutica]

OYou said Hadnott doesn't have enough un-numbered Swiss bank accounts to pay off the girl's family, but the American military does. And it's cheaper to pay off the girl, than to have to relocate all the bases in Okinawa.

The US military does have a lot of money. But, see, here's the thing: only the defense contractors are allowed to get it. Service members, VA hospitals, etc? Nada, or next to it. There was no payoff here - unless it went through a contractor.

[Mulboyne]

The newspapers will be pretty full if these kinds of stories keep making it to their pages.

U.S. nonmilitary staffer arrested over drug use

A U.S. nonmilitary employee at the U.S. Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture and two Japanese men were arrested on suspicion of using a stimulant drug, police said Saturday. According to the police, Manuel Taitano Jr., a 42-year-old man employed at the base, took the stimulant at the house of Yuichi Mekaru, 29, in Yomitanson, in the prefecture, on Friday. The police searched Mekaru's house Friday night on suspicion he had purchased stimulants. As Taitano, who was at the house, tested positive for a stimulant, the police arrested him along with two Japanese men including Mekaru. Taitano is engaged in painting, plumbing maintenance and other jobs at the base. While the U.S. military has imposed a round-the-clock curfew on all its personnel and nonmilitary staff, Taitano apparently broke the curfew.

U.S. serviceman arrested in Okinawa over trespassing

A U.S. Air Force serviceman in Southern Japan's Okinawa Prefecture was arrested Sunday over alleged trespassing although the Japan-based U.S. forces have imposed a curfew after a series of crimes. Wesley Taft, an Airman Second Class of Kadena Air Base, was suspected of trespassing into a construction association's office in Okinawa city after breaking the building's appearance glass with a 1.8-meter-long iron stick at about 6:40 a.m. He was drunken when being arrested and admitted what he was accused of, police said. Taft said he sneaked out of his base during the curfew.

[Mulboyne]

Chalmers Johnson writes in the Asia Times:

The 'rape' of Okinawa

...The various officers responsible for the discipline of US troops in Japan invariably promise to tighten supervision over them, who currently number 92,491, including civilian employees and dependents. But nothing ever changes. Why?

Because the Japanese government speaks with a forked tongue. For the sake of the Okinawans forced to live cheek-by-jowl with 37 US military bases on their small island, Tokyo condemns the behavior of the Americans. Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda called the recent assault "unforgivable" and demanded tighter military discipline. But that is as far as it goes. The Japanese government has never even discussed why a large standing army of Americans is garrisoned on Japanese territory, some 63 years after the end of World War II. There is never any analysis in the Japanese press or by the government of whether the Japanese-American Security Treaty actually requires such American troops.

Couldn't the terms of the treaty be met just as effectively if the marines were sent back to their own country and called on only in an emergency? The American military has never agreed to rewrite the Status of Forces Agreement, as demanded by every local community in Japan that plays host to American military facilities, and the Japanese government meekly goes along with this stonewalling.

Once an incident "blows over", as this latest one now has, the pundits and diplomats go back to their boiler-plate pronouncements about the "long-standing and strong alliance" (Rice in Tokyo), about how Japan is an advanced democracy (although it has been ruled by the same political party since 1949 except for a few years after the collapse of the Soviet Union), and about how indispensable America's empire of over 800 military bases in other people's countries is to the maintenance of peace and security.

As long as Japan remains a satellite of the United States, women and girls in Okinawa will continue to be slugged, beaten and raped by heavily armed young Americans who have no other reason for being there than the pretensions of American imperialism. As long as the Japanese government refuses to stand up and demand that the American troops based on its territory simply go home, nothing will change.

[Greji]

Chalmers Johnson writes in the Asia Times:The Japanese government has never even discussed why a large standing army of Americans is garrisoned on Japanese territory, some 63 years after the end of World War II.

Just as a post note, for 27 of those years, it was a US territory until it was returned to Japan in 1972...

The American military has never agreed to rewrite the Status of Forces Agreement, as demanded by every local community in Japan that plays host to American military facilities, and the Japanese government meekly goes along with this stonewalling

Every local community in Japan, does not demand revisions of SOFA as such. First of all, this is an international peace treaty that is negotiated at the National Level. The Joint Committee of SOFA, represented by members from both Japan and the US meets many times a year (used to be monthly, I don't know what it is now) and they review the various recommendations on both the Japanese and US sides, for revisions to SOFA. As a general rule, Chal's so-called enraged local populaces, especially, the smaller communities that receive very large subsities from the central government for having Defense Facilities Property within, or adjaecent to their situs, are not overly happy about prospects for giving up these monies as demanded by the left as championed by Chal. This is the reason these issues do not receive more attention in the diet. However, Chal would have this portrayed be a fear to stand up to the US Military. Hmm.

the pundits and diplomats go back to their boiler-plate pronouncements about the "long-standing and strong alliance" (Rice in Tokyo), about how Japan is an advanced democracy (although it has been ruled by the same political party since 1949 except for a few years after the collapse of the Soviet Union), and about how indispensable America's empire of over 800 military bases in other people's countries is to the maintenance of peace and security.

The LDP is the LDP, but for all their troubles and warts, they are the duly elected government of Japan and to insinuate that because of the LDP, Japan is not a democracy, is pushing it a tad...

As long as Japan remains a satellite of the United States, women and girls in Okinawa will continue to be slugged, beaten and raped by heavily armed young Americans who have no other reason for being there than the pretensions of American imperialism.

I don't think this needs any further explanation about Chal's beliefs as he looks at every young GI as a jack booted, armed to the tooth, American Imperialist. Has this been espoused by someone before and what were those numbers of slugged, beaten and raped girls again?

As long as the Japanese government refuses to stand up and demand that the American troops based on its territory simply go home, nothing will change.

Again, classic Chal. The government of Japan, in its majority, favors continuation of the security treaty and basing US troops. The leftists and the JCP almost in a whole, would seem to be the only people, who share Chal's opinions in toto.

The 'rape' of Okinawa[/QUOTE]

[joshuaism]

Hadn't heard much about this in a while so here's an update.

Hadnott Charged...

April 24, 2008 - cnn
U.S. military charges against Staff Sgt. Tyrone L. Hadnott include rape of a child under 16, abusive sexual conduct, making a false official statement, adultery and "kidnapping through inveigling," or trickery.

No date was set for the court-martial. The charges were made Monday, but the military did not announce them until Friday.

Hadnott Pleads Guilty, Sentenced...

May 18, 2008 - Stars & Stripes
Hadnott was sentenced by a military judge Friday to 48 months of confinement ― with 12 months suspended ― and a dishonorable discharge. The case attracted international attention and was one of several incidents that led to strict liberty restrictions on everyone affiliated with the military on Okinawa.

Under the terms of a pretrial agreement, Hadnott pleaded guilty to one count, admitting he fondled a 14-year-old girl he picked up on his motorcycle outside an ice cream parlor in Okinawa City on Feb. 10.

Charges of rape, adultery, kidnapping through luring, and making a false official statement were withdrawn and the sentence was limited under the agreement to 36 months. The remaining 12 months of the sentence were suspended. He also will have to register as a sex offender when he is released from prison.

So once the outrage died down a bit, the wheels of justice finally started turning. And while plenty of Japanese reporters and officials were on hand to report about the trial, it was ended quickly with a plea bargain, avoiding the news coverage and renewed rage a big trial could have caused. So justice is served, Hadnott gets just 3 years in jail, and the military avoids a lot of negative press. Looks like things worked out for everyone, huh?

[Visitor K]

Looks like things worked out for everyone, huh?

yah, especially the 14 year old that got raped...