1995 Okinawa rape incident
The 1995 Okinawa rape incident (Japanese: 沖縄米兵少女暴行事件) occurred on September 4, 1995, when three U.S. servicemen, U.S. Navy Seaman Marcus Gill and U.S. Marines Rodrico Harp and Kendrick Ledet, all serving at Camp Hansen on Okinawa, rented a van and kidnapped a 12-year-old Okinawan girl. They beat her, duct-taped her eyes and mouth shut, and bound her hands. Gill and Harp then raped her, while Ledet claimed he only pretended to do so due to fear of Gill.
| 1995 Okinawa rape incident | |
|---|---|
| Location | Kin, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan |
| Date | 4 September 1995 |
Attack type | Child rape, child abduction, torture |
| Weapon | Duct tape |
| Victim | 12-year-old Okinawan girl |
| Perpetrators |
|
| Verdict | Pleaded guilty |
| Convictions | Gill: Rape Harp, Ledet: Conspiracy |
| Sentence | Gill, Harp: 7 years in prison Ledet: 6+1⁄2 years in prison |
The offenders were tried and convicted in Japanese court by Japanese law, in accordance with the U.S.–Japan Status of Forces Agreement. The families of the defendants initially claimed that Japanese officials had racially discriminated against the men because they were all African American and coerced confessions from them, but later retracted the claims. The incident led to further debate over the continued presence of U.S. forces in Japan among Okinawans.