Four Marines to get court-martial in Japan rape case: US

Civic group members are seen during a protest in front of the headquarters of the US Marines at Kita Nakagusuku village

TOKYO (AFP) — Four US Marines will face court-martial in Japan over allegations they gang-raped a local woman, the US military said, even though Japanese prosecutors dropped the case.

The alleged gang-rape was one of a string of incidents linked to US troops this year that has triggered outrage in Japan, one of Washington's closest allies.

One of the Marines will face a court-martial in late April and another from early May, according to the public affairs office of the Iwakuni base near the western city of Hiroshima.

The dates were yet to be set for the two others, according to the office, saying the military would disclose more information later.

The court-martial decision was first reported late Wednesday by Japan's public broadcaster NHK.

The woman, who was 19 at the time of the incident in October, said that the four Marines raped her in a car and then stole her money.

But Japanese prosecutors decided not to press charges against the men. Japanese press reports said police found that the woman, now 20, changed her account and was believed to have consented to sex with one man.

The US military decided to court-martial the men amid resentment by the Japanese public over a string of criminal allegations against American soldiers.

Japanese prosecutors last week dropped the case of another US Marine accused of raping a 14-year-old girl on the southern island of Okinawa, home to more than half the US forces in the country.

The girl did not want to continue the case, which received intense media attention.

The US military said the 38-year-old Marine was taken into custody for potential disciplinary action.

The incidents overshadowed a visit last week by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who offered an apology over the alleged rape of the 14-year-old.

The US military also put all troops and their relatives in Okinawa and Iwakuni under a sweeping curfew for nearly two weeks.

More than 40,000 US troops are based in Japan under a security treaty with the close US ally, which has been officially pacifist since World War II.