According to Jiji Press, Justin Castellanos, 24, raped a Japanese tourist, and was charged with the crime by Naha district public prosecutor's office. This information remains unconfirmed by prosecutors as well as the US Navy in Japan.
According to local police, the US Navy sailor, stationed at Camp Schwab base, was arrested last month for raping a Japanese tourist while she was unconscious at a hotel in the Okinawan capital city of Naha.
This is not the first time US sailors have been charged with rape and other violations. Japan has a lengthy record of crimes by US servicemen resulting in protest actions by Japanese. More than half of the 47,000 American military personnel in Japan are stationed in the island, and after the Castellanos incident, they were prohibited from spending the night at Naha. If Castellanos is found guilty, this could further increase tensions over the American military presence on the fortified island.
