U.S. Soldiers Sought in Alleged Japan Rape

T O K Y O, June 29 -- The U.S. military intends to cooperate with Okinawa police and the Japanese government after reports that a Japanese woman was raped, possibly by U.S. serviceman, a Pentagon spokeswoman said.

Local police on the Japanese island that is home to 50,000 U.S. troops are searching the central Okinawan town of Chatan, where the attack allegedly occurred near several American military bases.

The investigation comes on the eve of newly elected Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's first visit to the United States for meetings with President Bush.

"We are aware of the allegations of an incident on Okinawa," the military spokeswoman said Thursday night. "Our military commanders are cooperating fully with the government of Japan and the Okinawa police to assist in their investigation. Our military is facilitating making military members available to the police."

Some service members have been made available for police questioning, but the spokeswoman said she did not know how many or what services.

Victim: Did Not Know Where Assailants Were From

The victim, who is in her 20s, told authorities that she was surrounded by several foreign men and that one of them raped her, Shoichi Shinzato, a spokesman for the Okinawa state police told The Associated Press. The woman did not say what country they appeared to be from.

A person reporting to be an eyewitness to the alleged attack said the men appeared to be U.S. military. The eyewitness indicated that several of them sexually attacked the victim in a parking lot, and then fled in a vehicle, Shinazato said.

U.S. Servicemen Not a Welcome Presence

The American military presence on Okinawa is a legacy of World War II. Military officials and lawmakers from both parties believe staying in Japan is vital.

But past crimes committed by U.S. soldiers against Okinawan residents have fueled anger and resentment. The biggest case involved the gang rape of a 12-year-old schoolgirl in 1995 by two U.S. Marines and a sailor, which sparked the biggest anti-U.S. demonstrations in Japan in decades.