U.S. airman sentenced in Japan rape

NAHA, Japan, March 28 -- A Japanese district court found a U.S. airman guilty Thursday of raping a local woman on the southern island of Okinawa last summer, sentencing him to 32 months in jail and concluding a case that deepened resentment toward American troops stationed in Okinawa.

This conviction is a rare event in Japan, period, US soldier or not. When this case first came out in the press, a related article pointed out how difficult it was to prosecute the crime of rape in Japan. Why? Because Japanese law requires that the victim physically resist. Thus, if the rapist holds a knife to his victim's throat, and she submits rather than be cut from ear to ear, it's not rape. And, tada, Japan states they have a low occurence of rape.

Interesting notion. If I can find the link again, I'll add it for your consideration.