4 US marines to face court-martial in Japan rape case
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.
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