Members of the Japanese media wait outside the Naha District Court July 12, 2024, before the start of hearing on charges a U.S. Air Force member kidnapped and sexually assaulted a minor. (Keishi Koja/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — A U.S. airman stationed at Kadena Air Base, in his first appearance Friday in a Japanese court since his indictment in March, denied charges against him of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a minor.
Senior Airman Brennon Richard Edward Washington, 25, assigned to the 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron, was charged with kidnapping and non-consensual sex with a minor in December.
His case, and that of a Marine lance corporal charged in a separate case with attempted sexual assault, sparked protests from Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki of the U.S. military’s failure to discipline its troops.
He also protested to Tokyo of its and the Naha Public Prosecutors Office’s failures to promptly notify the prefecture of the charges. The case only came to light in late June when Washington was scheduled for his first court appearance.
The hearing began at 1:40 p.m. before a full courtroom.
“Is anything wrong with the facts written in the charge sheet?” Naha District Court Judge Tetsuro Sato, head of a three-judge panel, asked Washington after the charges were read.
“I’m not guilty,” Washington said. “I did not kidnap, I did not rape.”
According to the indictment provided by the prosecutors’ office, Washington approached the girl in a Yomitan village park Dec. 24 “with the purpose of kidnapping and conducting indecent acts on her.”
Prosecutors allege Washington said to the girl, “Let’s talk in the car because it’s cold.” From the park he drove the girl to his home off base, where he sexually assaulted her, knowing she was under 16, according to the indictment.
Washington’s attorney told the court that the airman “admitted that he took the woman to his house and performed sexual actions.”
“But he asked the woman’s age, and he thought that she was 18 years old,” the attorney said. “He did not have intentions to molest her and abduct her. Until the time she left he was unaware that she was under 16. He did not pull down her lingerie; it was done with her cooperation.”
The Japanese prosecutor said the girl went to the park after a fight with her mother, which she explained to Washington using a translator app. Washington, who went to the park after fighting with his wife, told the girl he was a “special detective in the military,” the prosecutor said.
The prosecutor played footage of the incident from security cameras in the park via table monitors only Washington, his attorney and the judges could see. Washington appeared calm while watching the video.
“Washington talked to the girl at around 4:30 p.m., saying ‘daijoubu?’ (are you OK) in Japanese,” the prosecutor said. “He asked her age, and she said her age in Japanese and also made gestures with her hands.
“The girl went back home crying, and her mother reported it to the police,” the prosecutor added.
The hearing adjourned after the video showing. The next hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Aug. 23. The victim and her mother are expected to appear to provide statements; partitions will be erected to protect their privacy, according to Sato.
Washington was released from jail and restricted to Kadena following the indictment, and the U.S. government took his passport, 18th Wing spokesman Capt. Alvin Nelson told Stars and Stripes via email July 3.
“The U.S. military takes these allegations very seriously, and the 18th Wing has been cooperating with local authorities to ensure a thorough investigation while ensuring due legal process under the applicable laws and agreements,” Nelson said.
