Marines Apologize to Okinawa Over Sex Case
By CALVIN SIMS
TOKYO, July 6 -- With a summit meeting of the world's industrial powers opening in Okinawa in just two weeks, the United States was taking no chances that demonstrations against the marines there would mar the event.
So even though no charges have been filed against a 19-year-old marine accused of molesting a 14-year-old girl in Okinawa on Monday, the top United States military official on the Japanese island apologized to its governor today.
He bowed. He expressed regret. And he tried, once more, to smooth relations with the people of Okinawa, where fear and concern are widespread over crimes by American soldiers, who have been accused of numerous cases of violence and sexual misconduct over the years.
The official, Lt. Gen. Earl B. Hailston, visited Okinawa's governor, Keiichi Inamine, at the prefecture government's office to make the formal apology, which included a bow of Japanese contrition. He was accompanied by the United States consul general of Okinawa, Robert Luke. General Hailson is the regional coordinator for American military forces in Okinawa, where two-thirds of the 47,000 American troops stationed in Japan are based.
"I want to express to the family involved, as well as to the people of Okinawa," General Hailston said, "my sincerest apology and most profound regret for the incident and for the anxiety it has created."
General Hailston's apology was not the first by an American official. In 1995, Defense Secretary William J. Perry apologized on behalf of the United States and three servicemen charged with raping a 12-year-old Japanese girl. His apology, like General Hailston's, came just before a summit meeting in Japan. The servicemen were later convicted.
In his apology today, General Hailston said: "The relationship of a Marine leader to his subordinate marines is like the relationship of a father to his children -- these marines are my sons and daughters. That is why it hurts me deeply when any of my marines appears to fall short of the standard I have set and demand. It hurts me, as it hurts you, my neighbors."
Japanese and Western historians have said that in the aftermath of World War II, American troops raped thousands of Okinawan women without reprisals. The historians said that while hundreds of rape cases have been documented, most have gone unreported for fear of retaliation and shame.
This latest incident unfolded on Monday after a woman told the police that her daughter had been molested. The authorities accused the marine, 19, of breaking into the girl's home and touching her body while she slept. The marine, who is stationed at the Futenma Air Station in Ginowan, was arrested on suspicion of trespassing and conducting an indecent act against a minor.
Law enforcement officials said the marine was drunk during the incident and that he told the police he meant to visit a friend's house but entered the girl's residence by mistake. They said the door to the home was unlocked, as is the custom of many Okinawans. The police officials said the marine has denied molesting the girl. Evening newspapers in Okinawa reported today that the girl told the police that the soldier touched her face and body and climbed on top of her.
Since Monday's arrest, labor unions, peace activists, women's rights groups, and human rights organizations have rallied near United States bases and sent angry letters of protest to the prefectural government.
The general's comments appear to have done little to quell growing outrage in Okinawa over the incident, which could prove extremely embarrassing to President Clinton, who is scheduled to attend the summit meeting July 21 to 23 for the Group of 7 industrialized nations and Russia.