Incident in Okinawa

As Bush and Koizumi meet, an alleged rape muddies relations between Tokyo and Washington

When night falls outside the sprawling Kadena Air Force Base in the center of Okinawa, the streets turn into a bacchanal of hard drinking, drag racing, loud music and raucous, sweaty dancing. Tattooed guys in muscle shirts and cargo pants rub against women in midriff-baring T shirts and tight jeans, and as the crowd spills from bars onto sidewalks, the night shifts into overdrive. "Hey, we're 19-year-old guys, we're away from home, we're pumped up and we're horny," says a young Marine from California. "Of course it's all about sex."

Trouble is, it's all about politics too. Last week, just hours...

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