A 24-year-old U.S. serviceman who allegedly beat a teenage boy after breaking into his home in an Okinawa village earlier this month has apologized, local officials said Sunday.
The serviceman, who belongs to the U.S. Air Force's Kadena base, met with the parents of the boy on Saturday evening in the village of Yomitan, Okinawa Prefecture, for about 90 minutes and apologized, saying his action was inexcusable, according to Yomitan Mayor Denjitsu Ishimine.
The allegations come at a time when U.S. military personnel in Japan are under a nighttime curfew imposed from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., a measure that took effect in mid-October following the alleged rape by two U.S. servicemen of a Japanese woman in the prefecture.
The serviceman, who has already been questioned by local police, is suspected of beating the junior high school boy after breaking into his residence around 1 a.m. on Nov. 2 after drinking at a Japanese-style pub.
The serviceman, who visited the village office accompanied by two superiors, also said that he wants to make amends for his misconduct, according to the mayor, who attended the meeting.
The boy followed the meeting via a monitor in a different room in the municipal office.