Court in Japan issues arrest warrant for U.S. officer

TOKYO -- A court in southern Japan issued a warrant Tuesday for the arrest of a U.S. Marine officer for allegedly attempting to rape a woman, police said.

The police asked the U.S. military to hand over 39-year-old Maj. Michael J. Brown, assigned to Camp Courtney on Okinawa island, under a 1995 agreement covering U.S. forces in Japan, said police spokesman Shinpachi Higashizato.

Brown allegedly tried to rape a foreign woman inside a parked car in the early morning hours of Nov. 2, Higashizato said. The woman resisted and managed to get away, he said.

U.S. Marine Corps officials declined to comment on the case Tuesday. Brown's hometown was not immediately available.

Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine protested the incident as a serious crime against women.

"Yet more trouble was caused by a U.S. serviceman, despite our repeated request to the U.S. military for disciplinary and preventive efforts," Inamine said in a statement. "It is extremely regrettable and we feel enraged."