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Marine faces rape charge

TOKYO: Japan said on Monday it would demand the U.S. military hand over a Marine suspected of raping a 19-year-old woman in Okinawa, a case that looks set to fuel resentment of the military's presence on the southern island. The latest allegation, which follows several high-profile criminal cases involving U.S. soldiers stationed there, comes at a delicate time given Washington's plan to overhaul its military forces in Asia, of which about a quarter are based in Okinawa. Police in Naha, Okinawa's capital, said they had obtained an arrest warrant from the local court for U.S. Marine lance corporal, Jose W. Torres, who allegedly raped a Japanese woman after punching her in the face in the early hours of May 25. The 21-year-old Marine was being held in the U.S. military custody. The Japanese Foreign Minister, Yoriko Kawaguchi, said the incident was ``truly regrettable''.

Reuters

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