Police in the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa have informed the prefectural government that they have referred a US Marine to prosecutors for a suspected sexual assault of a woman.

This is said to be the first time the prefectural police have notified the prefectural government of a sex crime case involving US military personnel under a recently created information-sharing system.

The police say the Marine Corps member in his 20s is suspected of sexually assaulting an adult woman and injuring her on Okinawa's main island in June.

They sent papers to prosecutors on the Marine on Thursday after questioning him on a voluntary basis and examining security camera footage.
Police say the two were acquaintances. They have not disclosed whether the man admitted to the allegations.

The information-sharing system was set up after a series of sex crimes by US service members in Okinawa surfaced in June. Prefectural officials did not know about these cases.

The central government and the prefectural police were criticized for failing to report the incidents to the prefectural government on the grounds of privacy protection.

Under the new system, the police and the prefecture are to share information when an arrest is made or papers are sent to prosecutors.