Okinawa, Japan
A Japanese court sentenced a U.S. Marine to three and a half years in prison this week for beating and raping a woman on the island of Okinawa. Lance Cpl. Jose Torres, 21, pleaded guilty to attacking the 19-year-old Japanese woman outside a restaurant in May. He was quickly arrested by U.S. military police and turned over to Japanese police, a smooth transfer that marked an improvement in relations between the two authorities. Okinawa hosts about two-thirds of the 47,000 U.S. troops in Japan, and residents in the past have rioted when U.S. soldiers accused of crimes were seen as being treated too lightly.
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