Marine Arrested Over Japan Rape
New York Times
February 11, 2008
Pg. 11
TOKYO (Reuters) — A United States marine was arrested on suspicion of raping a 14-year-old Japanese girl in the southern prefecture of Okinawa, the police said on Monday, an episode that could strain ties between the allies.
A spokesman for the Okinawa Prefecture police said that the marine, who is 38, was suspected of raping the girl on Sunday and that the two were riding in a car at the time.
Further details were under investigation, he added.
Japan is home to some 50,000 American troops, the bulk of them in Okinawa. In 1995, the rape of a Japanese schoolgirl there by three United States servicemen set off huge protests.
Military officials were not immediately available for comment. A spokesman for the United States Embassy in Japan said he was aware of the investigation.