On the morning of April 5, a 21-year-old U.S. serviceman stationed at the Misawa base was arrested on the charge of bodily injury. The suspect allegedly struck a 20-year-old woman who lives in Aomori Prefecture, causing her bodily injury, at his residence in the town of Oirase in the prefecture. The suspect is apparently denying the charge.

Arrested was Senior Airman Joseph Allen Fesmire, who is assigned to the U.S. military’s Misawa base. He lives in the Aoba district of the town of Oirase.

The allegation is that between 4:30 a.m. and approximately 5:30 a.m. on April 5 the suspect punched the woman in the face and choked her at his residence, causing her injuries that will require 10 days to heal. The man and the woman knew each other prior to the alleged incident.

The woman fled from the suspect’s house and called the police. Police officers rushed to the house and arrested the suspect on the spot.

The suspect was apparently drunk at the time he allegedly committed the crime. He denies the charge, saying he “did not resort to violence.” The police are investigating the case.