Two US Navy sailors have been convicted of raping a Japanese woman in Okinawa while on duty. The rape, which occurred in October, provoked anger among locals and forced the American military to enforce a curfew upon its service members.

The two Americans plead guilty to the charges, admitting to raping the young Japanese woman and robbing her of about $76 in October 2012. The indictment claims that the two sailors “attacked the woman as she walked along a street in central Okinawa just before 4 a.m., choking her and covering her mouth, causing a neck sprain, as they forced her to have sex” with both of them.

The rape dominated Japanese news reports late last year and prompted a reaction from American ambassador to Japan, John V. Roos, who said the US government was “extremely concerned.”

“These allegations, given their seriousness, will continue to command my full personal attention,” Roos told the New York Times in a statement.

This week, the Japanese court in Naha sentenced 24-year-old Seaman Christopher Browning to 10 years imprisonment and 23-year-old Petty Officer 3^rdClass Skyler Dozierwalker to nine years imprisonment. Both of them plead guilty to the charges. Browning is serving a longer sentence for robbing the victim of her cash.

While handing down the sentence, presiding judge Hideyuki Suzuki described the Navy sailors’ actions as “contemptible and violent”. The two men will spend the next decade locked up in a Japanese prison.

Since the rape occurred, Okinawans have been outraged at the presence of American forces on their island. They had already been uncomfortable with the military personnel and have long complained about disruptive behavior and crimes conducted by US service members.

In September, the US had also decided to base a new type of aircraft, a tilt-rotor MV-22 Osprey, at an Okinawan Marine facility. The local population heavily protested the Osprey’s deployment, due to its poor safety record in training flights. Ignoring the Okinawan’s opposition, the US deployed the aircraft and reignited a deep Japanese resentment of the military.

FULL STORY: http://rt.com/usa/sailors-rape-japan-navy-696/