Alleged Filipina Rape Victim To File Charges Against U.S. Serviceman In Japan

Manila, Philippines (AHN) - The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday said the alleged Filipina rape victim by a U.S. serviceman in Okinawa, Japan is planning to file a formal complaint before the Japanese court.

In a statement to reporters in Manila, the DFA said Philippine consul general in Okinawa, Sulpicio Confiado said the Philippine embassy in Tokyo is providing legal assistance to the Filipina who accused an American serviceman of sexual assault inside a hotel on February 18.

Confiado said in his report to Manila, "She has accepted the embassy's support, assistance and protection for the duration of the investigation and judicial proceedings."

"She is now in the protective custody of the Okinawa prefectural police and has decided to file a case against the serviceman in the appropriate Japanese court," the report adds.

The DFA did not divulge the identity of the alleged rape victim.

The case is a sensitive issue and might again trigger fresh frictions on the relationship between Washington and Manila. The U.S. last year cancelled a large-scale military war games with the Philippines after an American Marine was convicted of raping a Filipina in its former military base, north of the capital.

The war exercises resumed late this month, participated by U.S. and Philippine security forces.

Lance Corporal Daniel Smith was convicted by a local court of raping a Filipina woman and was initially detained at a local jail. However, Smith was transferred to a detention facility inside the U.S. embassy in Manila, pending his appeal.