Japan Govt Spokesman Raps Sexual Assaults by U.S. Marines

   Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi on Thursday condemned recent cases of alleged sexual assault by two U.S. Marines against women in Okinawa Prefecture, southernmost Japan.
   "Criminal cases and accidents involving U.S. military personnel make local people uneasy, and they must not occur," the top government spokesman said of the two alleged cases of sexual assault in Okinawa.
   One of the two Marines is suspected of sexually assaulting an acquaintance in January, and the other of sexually assaulting a woman and injuring another at a military base in March, according to Okinawa prefectural police.
   The prefectural police department has sent papers on the cases to prosecutors.
   "We will continue to urge the U.S. military in Japan to tighten discipline and prevent a recurrence of such cases," Hayashi said at a press conference.

(2025/04/24-17:48)