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US Marines open gang-rape trial of four in Hiroshima

The US military said yesterday it opened a hearing for four US Marines accused of gang-raping a Japanese woman, even though Japanese prosecutors decided not to press charges.

The case in Hiroshima is going ahead amid public outrage over a separate alleged rape by another Marine on the southern island of Okinawa, the biggest hub for US troops in Japan.

The US Marines said they held a so-called Article 32 hearing -- the military equivalent of a preliminary court hearing -- on Thursday and yesterday of the four Marines at their base in Iwakuni, near Hiroshima.

A 20-year-old woman alleged that the four military men in October raped her in a car and then stole her money.

"The US government has a responsibility to prove the facts about allegations," said Master Gunnery Sergeant John Cordero, spokesman for the Iwakuni base.

He stressed that the preliminary hearing did not necessarily mean the military would take action against the men as they are presumed to be innocent under the law until it is proven otherwise.

"Any allegations about Marines will be investigated by the Marine Corps, and we consider any allegations seriously," Cordero said.

Japanese prosecutors in November dropped the case against the military personnel, citing inconsistencies in the woman's allegations.

Police have declined further details. But Kyodo News said the woman changed her story and told police she consented to have sex with one of the four men.

The US stations troops in Japan under a security alliance with its key Asian ally, which has been officially pacifist since its defeat in World War II.

There has been frequent friction between US troops and residents. The city of Iwakuni on Sunday held a mayoral poll in which a candidate vowing to stop expansion of the air base narrowly lost.

Relations are particularly tense in Okinawa, where about half the US forces are stationed.

Okinawan leaders voiced outrage and the US ambassador made a personal apology after a US Marine was arrested on Monday for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl.

He remains in Japanese police custody pending charges.
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