August 4, 2010
Japanese Police Arrest U.S. Marine Suspected Of Sexual Assault In Okinawa
By Yumi Otagaki, Bloomberg News
Japanese police arrested a U.S. Marine for the alleged sexual assault of a woman on the island of Okinawa, where similar incidents in the past have led to protests against the American military presence.
Marine Sergeant Phillip Edward Sawyerr, 28, was taken into custody in the capital of Naha early this morning on suspicion of breaking into the house of a woman in her 20s and sexually assaulting her, police spokesman Motoki Haneji said by phone. The U.S. serviceman has denied the charges, Haneji said, adding that American authorities in Japan had been notified.