A Reason to Withhold Judgment
As it turns out, the alleged case of rape in Okinawa that I reported on two weeks ago, may not have been a rape. It’s pretty clear that something illicit had happened–an American serviceman took a 14-year-old girl home on his motorcycle and forcibly tried to kiss her; when she started crying, he offered to take her home in her car. She then went to the police and made the charge of full rape, and that’s when everyone went nuts. The local population exploded in protest, and local politicians jumped on this as a reason to force U.S. bases and the 40,000 U.S. troops in Okinawa to pack up and leave. The U.S. troops were all put under a sweeping curfew.
But now, it seems that there may not have been a rape after all. This point is not clear–the police are not clearing the soldier publicly, or at least not yet–but the soldier in question has been released and the family is dropping charges. This is not proof that rape did not take place; it is possible that the young girl was so traumatized that the family decided that a trial would not help her. Or it is possible that the girl made a bad decision and made a charge that could not be upheld.
That we still don’t know is just more evidence, to me, that taking such cases and blowing them up into international incidents is very poor judgment. Allow the system of justice to take its course, wait to see what truth filters through, and act on that if it is relevant.
I agree with your view. Without sufficient and clear evidence, it will be an unfair judgement for us, too. Law and politics are both really difficult for me.
I sympathise with that young girl in making such kind of decision as “Leave me alone… I want to think myself in a quiet place,” because I feel , like you are guessing, that she’s been so traumatised by that incident. The nearer the conflict comes to her, the further she wants to go. I think that is natural. (a kind of escaping behaviour.)
That guy had to think MORE before having a young girl or lady ride on his back on his motorcycle. Guess that kind of behaviour in central Tokyo like Shinjuku… he will be arrested sooner or later if the witnesses call the police from their mobile phones. Too lucky that he was NOT brought criminal charges. He must think of trying to save or lessen his sexual ambition to avoid this kind of matter, I think. (Sexual ambition itself is really natural, but sometimes very dangerous, especially when boys’ or gents’ one explode without good and thoughtful delicacy. So now I think that it should be intentionally saved by his special efforts. I am a man, too, so I have to care about this kind of case.)