Staff Sergeant Tyrone L. Hadnott, of the United States Marine Corps has been charged by the United States Military under the UCMJ of raping a 14-year-old girl while stationed in Okinawa. So far, there has been no date set for Hadnott’s court-martial. But, this is one of many cases that had sparked anti-American protests throughout Okinawa and Japan.
Hadnott is charged of raping a child under the age of 16, abusive sexual conduct, adultery, kidnapping, and making a false official statement. According to the Japanese authorities, Hadnott acknowledged that he kissed the girl. However, he denied raping the girl. He is part of the 50,000 United States servicemen that are stationed in Japan. Half of those 50,000 are stationed in Okinawa.
Though the girl dropped charges against Hadnott, the United States military still took action. As a result of protests, the movement of those stationed in Okinawa has been restricted. So far, such cases have hurt relations between the United States and Japan.
In regards to the United States foreign policy in the future, Okinawa could come up as a possible debate topic in regards to the general elections between the eventual Democratic nominee and the presumed GOP nominee Senator John McCain of Arizona. Though Okinawa has not been getting much attention, this could creep up as a major political topic in the near future.
However, such cases could pop up in the future. Recently, a report released explained that the waivers for convicted felons to serve in the US Army and US Marines have increased.