US Marine indicted for raping woman, injuring her rescuer at military base in Japan

A 27-year-old US Marine was indicted on Wednesday for allegedly raping a woman and injuring another in a restroom at the American military base in Japan's Okinawa Prefecture last month, Kyodo News reported.

Austin Wedington, who had been in US military custody under the bilateral Status of Forces Agreement, was transferred to Japanese authorities on the same day. This agreement outlines the legal status and behavior of US military personnel in Japan.

Prosecutors have not revealed Wedington's response to the allegations.

On April 7, Okinawa prefectural police referred the case to prosecutors on charges of raping a woman and injuring another who attempted to rescue the victim, an Okinawan resident and civilian worker at the base, according to the media outlet.

Japanese authorities had launched an investigation in cooperation with the US military and questioned the Marine on a voluntary basis.

This is the third case involving allegations of sexual violence by US military personnel in Okinawa since June 2024.

On April 18, US military officials and Japanese police conducted joint patrols in Okinawa City's entertainment districts to help prevent further incidents involving American personnel.

Okinawa hosts 31 US-exclusive military facilities, accounting for 70.3% of such sites in Japan in terms of land area. The island is home to roughly half of the 50,000 US troops deployed in the country under a security pact.