U.S. Faces New Sex Assault Claim In Japan

An Army serviceman is under investigation for allegedly sexually assaulting a Philippine woman in the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, the U.S. military and Japanese officials said Thursday.

The investigation, apparently at the preliminary stages, was disclosed amid a rising furor over a recent series of crimes blamed on American troops, including the arrest last week of a Marine on suspicion of raping a 14-year-old.

Details in the latest case were hazy, but it involved an alleged attack at an Okinawa hotel earlier this month, officials said. A report by Japan's Kyodo News agency said American military authorities had taken the servicemen into custody.

"They are investigating charges of that," said Sgt. Terence Peck of U.S. Forces Japan. He refused to provide additional details, referring calls to the U.S. Army.

The woman, also unidentified, was taken to a hospital after the alleged attack after meeting with a serviceman in a hotel, said Takashi Ariyoshi of the Japanese Foreign Ministry. Okinawa police refused to provide further details.

The U.S. military on Wednesday imposed tight restrictions on U.S. troops in Japan to crack down on the crime spree, limiting some 45,000 military personnel, civilian employees and their families to bases, workplaces or off-base homes indefinitely.

The restrictions went beyond a midnight curfew already in place for enlisted Marines on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, where most of the 50,000 U.S. troops in the country are based.

The order, which focused on Okinawa but also affected Marines throughout Japan, was issued after a string of crimes blamed on American servicemen stoked long-simmering sentiment against the U.S. military presence.

The move was part of a broad campaign in the past week by the U.S. to soothe rising anger over the alleged crimes - most prominently the suspected rape of the 14-year-old - that threatened to erupt into widespread protests against the American presence.

The furor began with the arrest last week of 38-year-old Staff Sgt. Tyrone Luther Hadnott in the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl in Okinawa. Hadnott admitted to investigators that he forced the girl down and kissed her, but said he did not rape her, police say.

The tensions have been compounded in recent days by allegations of other less serious crimes, such as drunken driving, trespassing and counterfeiting. Japanese leaders have deplored the behavior and accused the U.S. military of lax discipline.

Okinawa is considered a linchpin in the U.S. military posture in Asia, and Washington is eager to quell rising negative sentiment against American troops. U.S. military officials have apologized profusely, and Ambassador Thomas Schieffer traveled to Okinawa last week to smooth relations.