U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Timothy Woodland may have never been charged with raping a Japanese woman in Okinawa in June if he were Japanese, Time magazine said in its Aug. 27 edition.
The edition, which hit newsstands Monday, carries a feature report on the case. It says, "Given what is known about the events surrounding the incident, the case against Timothy Woodland may never have led to his indictment if he were a Japanese man."
The report says prosecutors will try to prove Woodland, 24, guilty based on his admission of having had sex with the woman, although he has claimed it was consensual.
After describing the subcultures of "amejo" and "kokujo" -- Japanese women who congregate around American men and black men, respectively -- it further notes that under normal circumstances in Japan, a woman's sexual history "can invalidate rape charges altogether."