Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said the government will strictly deal with alleged rape of a girl in Okinawa by a U.S. Marine.

"Several similar incidents had happened before, and now it has occurred again. We'll firmly negotiate with the United States. We'll deal with the matter based on evidence and in accordance with Japanese legislation," Fukuda told a House of Representatives Budget Committee session on Tuesday.

He was responding to a question by Yasuyuki Eda, a legislator from the ruling coalition partner Komeito.

Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura expressed grave concern about the impact of the incident.

"There's no way that prefectural residents' feelings won't be affected by the incident," Komura told a press conference following a regular Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. "The question is whether the U.S. government can tighten discipline among U.S. forces and prevent a recurrence to minimize the impact this will have on Japan-U.S. relations."

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