US scurries to soothe Japan rape claim anger

In September tens of thousands of people rallied against deployment of the Osprey, which can take off and land like a helicopter, but flies like a plane. Despite the groundswell of opinion, the strategic importance of the Okinawan archipelago, which is strung out from the Japanese mainland to Taiwan, makes it a vital bulwark against the rising might of China. Neither Washington nor Tokyo, which depends on its ally for defence, is able to countenance a sizeable US drawdown from the area. In Tokyo, around 50 people rallied outside Noda's office on Wednesday evening, holding banners and placards reading: "Get rid of bases and US troops' sexual violence and crimes," and "Don't trample on Okinawa". Okinawa police said they arrested Christopher Browning and Skyler Dozier Walker, both 23, on charges of raping and injuring the woman on Tuesday, hours before they had reportedly planned to leave the island. The local woman, whose identity was not revealed, suffered injuries to the neck, police said. The leading Mainichi Shimbun daily, citing police sources, said the two servicemen, who had flown to Okinawa on Sunday, had allegedly approached the woman on the street and sexually assaulted her. A police spokesman said the men had been handed over to prosecutors, who would decide on the formal indictment.