A Ground Self-Defense Force officer stationed in Tokyo has been arrested on suspicion of raping a 19-year-old female acquaintance earlier this month, police said Thursday.
They alleged that Capt. Yasuhiro Suzuki, 45, of the GSDF Kodaira garrison, sexually assaulted the woman at his condominium in Kodaira, western Tokyo, in the early hours of Jan. 5.
The woman reported the incident to police that day and Suzuki was arrested the following day.
Suzuki reportedly confessed in the presence of police.
"It is regrettable that a GSDF member, who is in a position to protect the lives and safety of the public, caused such an incident," an official of the garrison said.
The official added that the garrison will tighten GSDF discipline on moral codes to prevent further wrongdoing.