US Navy official arrested over charges of sexual assault in Japan
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TOKYO - On Saturday, Tokyo police arrested a sailor assigned to the American aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan for alleged sexual assault.
"We are cooperating with Japanese authorities," Naval Forces Japan spokesperson Commander Reann Mommsen said in a Monday statement, Stars and Stripes reported. "Due to the ongoing investigation and privacy concerns, it would be inappropriate for us to comment on any additional details."
US Navy officials did not identify the accused sailor. However, a Navy official told Stars and Stripes that the alleged sexual assault victim was not a Japanese citizen.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police department, which was also recently contacted by Stars and Stripes, did not disclose any details.
The arrest comes shortly after the Reagan's captain, Michael Donnelly, enforced a short-term alcohol ban on Reagan sailors Sunday morning following an increase in alcohol-related incidents. The ban was lifted Monday after an all-hands call aboard the ship emphasized "the importance of safe and professional conduct every day, on and off duty," Mommsen explained.
One of the incidents this weekend involved the injury of a Reagan sailor at a Yokosuka barracks.
Navy officials did not provide any additional details, but did confirm that the sailor's condition is stable and the incident is under examination.
The USS Ronald Reagan is a Nimitz-class, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the flagship of the US Navy's Carrier Strike Group Five, the only forward-based carrier strike group homeported in Yokosuka. There are about 3,000 sailors in its crew.
