New Rape Charges on Okinawa

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OKINAWA, JAPAN: Pressure to reduce the U.S. military presence in Okinawa is sure to grow now that another U.S. serviceman has been charged with rape. This time the victim was a 14-year-old American girl who lived on the Kadena Air Force Base on Okinawa. "Since the U.S. has already said that it intends to reduce the concentration of troops on Okinawa, this crime will probably accelerate that process," reports defense correspondent Mark Thompson. "I do not believe, however, that there will be a substantial removal of troops from Japan. They are needed as a bulwark against the threat of a North Korean attack. If there is a change in policy, it will have to come from the Japanese government, and the last time their temperature was checked, they wanted to stay with the status quo."