U.S. servicemen sentenced for Okinawa rape

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NAHA, Japan, March 1 (UPI) -- Two U.S. servicemen were sentenced to prison by a Japanese court Friday for the October 2012 rape of a woman on Okinawa.

Navy Seaman Christopher Daniel Browning was sentenced to 10 years and Petty Officer Skyler A. Dozierwalker was sentenced to nine years for the rape of a Japanese woman after they attacked her in a parking lot, CNN reported.

The two, who had been on a short Okinawa deployment, pleaded guilty in the Naha District Court Tuesday to raping and robbing the Japanese woman in October.

Stars and Stripes reported Dozierwalker said he "felt like a monster" while he listened to details of the rape in court this week.

Browning and Dozierwalker were reservists from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in Texas.

Following their arrests, Lt. Gen. Salvatore Angelella, commander of U.S. forces in Japan, imposed an overnight curfew at Kadena Air Base and apologized to the victim.

The incident led a women's group on Okinawa to call for more restrictions on what U.S. military personnel can do while off-base. Violent crimes, especially violence against women, committed by U.S. military personnel in Japan have created tension between the two countries for decades.