US Marines charged with rape of Japanese woman

Tokyo: Four US Marines have been charged with raping a Japanese woman last October, the US military said on Friday.

It comes days after another Marine was arrested for suspected rape of a schoolgirl in Okinawa.

US military authorities at Iwakuni Marine Corps Air Station are holding hearings to determine whether the four Marines should face courts martial for the suspected rape.

"The hearing is on today and is expected to possibly roll over until tomorrow," an Iwakuni air station spokesman said.

Japanese media said that the incident involving the woman, who was 19 at the time, occurred at a car park in nearby Hiroshima City.