Prosecutors in Japan's southwestern prefecture of Okinawa have indicted a US Marine for allegedly committing sexual assault against a woman and injuring another in a restroom on a US military base.



The 27-year-old Austin Wedington, a private first class stationed in Okinawa, was indicted without arrest on Wednesday.



The indictment from the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office says he was charged with sexual assault against a woman on Okinawa's main island on March 18. He also allegedly used violence against another woman who tried to help the assaulted woman.



Police said they investigated the case after receiving complaints from the women and sent papers on the case to prosecutors on April 7.



Investigative sources said the woman who was sexually assaulted was a Japanese national who worked on the military base. They said she did not know Wedington.



The police and prosecutors have not disclosed whether he has admitted to the charges.



The Naha District Court approved the prosecutors' request for the Marine to be detained.



US Ambassador to Japan George Glass said in a statement that the United States takes seriously all allegations against US personnel. He also said the US government will fully cooperate with the Japanese government and local authorities in their investigations.



Glass also said that the United States values the ties of trust and friendship it has built over many decades with Japan, and that he is committed to doing everything he can to prevent actions that may jeopardize those bonds.