US Charge d'Affaires in Tokyo Joseph Donovan was summoned on
Tuesday by the Japanese Foreign Ministry to discuss the alleged
rape of a teen-aged girl in Okinawa by an American Marine, the
State Department said.
Donovan "was summoned in and he met with Japan's vice foreign
minister," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters
without providing any details.
The high-level diplomatic meeting occurred when Japanese
officials have voiced outrage over the alleged rape and warned the
incident will spur opposition to US troops inside the country.
Prior to the meeting, McCormack said, US diplomats in Tokyo took
the initiative to meet Monday with Japanese officials to express
"deep regret for this incident" and offer to cooperate fully in the
case.
In addition, Washington might be sending a senior delegation to
Okinawa to try to ease anger over the incident, according to the
spokesman.
"Rape is a horrendous crime and we take these allegations very
seriously," McCormack said.
It was reported that a 38-year-old US Marine has been accused of
attacking the Japanese girl in a parked car Sunday night in
Okinawa. The American soldier has not been charged.
Three American servicemen raped a 12-year-old girl in 1995. The
United States deploys more than 40,000 troops in Japan under an
alliance treaty.
(Xinhua News Agency February 13, 2008)
