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Drunken soldier nabbed for trespassing
Tue, Feb 19, 2008 The Straits Times
TOKYO - JAPAN yesterday voiced anger after a drunken US marine was found passed out in a local home on the southern island of Okinawa, where just a week ago another US soldier was arrested on rape allegations. 'I have only one thing to express, and that is our true anger,' said Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura, the top government spokesman. Corporal Shawn Cody Jake, 21, was found around 4.25am on Monday on a sofa inside the house of a local family in Nago city who did not know him, according to Okinawa police. 'He was arrested at the scene for trespassing,' a police spokesman said.

Another US marine, Tony Alexander Garcia, was also arrested on Sunday for allegedly driving drunk, another police spokesman said.

Garcia, whose rank was not immediately available, was being questioned by Okinawa police, the spokesman said.

The two arrests came only a week after another marine was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl on Okinawa, which hosts half of the more than 40,000 US troops in Japan.

Top US officials last week flew to Okinawa to offer personal apologies for the alleged rape and promised to tighten discipline among US troops.

Mr Machimura urged Washington to do more and said the government would raise the issue when US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits next week.

'It is quite simply infuriating that they are drinking in the middle of the night, or early in the morning, and committing crimes while people are crying out for stricter discipline,' Mr Machimura told reporters.

'I can only call it slack.'

He said 'we are expecting a visit by Secretary of State Rice next week; we must urge the US government to strongly regret' the conduct of its soldiers.

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda told ruling party executives yesterday that he would strongly complain to the United States and demand steps to prevent such crimes in the future, the Kyodo news agency reported.

The United States stations troops in Japan under a security treaty with its key Asian ally, which has been officially pacifist since World War II.

Mr Machimura feared the latest incidents may affect ongoing moves to shift US troops within Japan, although he doubted they would halt the plan entirely.

'We don't believe (the plan) will be affected. But we must review the situation to see if there are any effects,' he said.

Last week's incident rekindled memories of the gang rape in 1995 of a 12-year-old girl by three US servicemen. The incident set off major protests on the island and set in motion a process to reduce the number of US troops there.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS