U.S. Ambassador to Japan in Damage Control Mode

An American soldier allegedly attacked a child in Okinawa

Washington's envoy to Japan moved Friday into damage-control mode for the second time in a month after a soldier allegedly attacked a schoolboy on an island already angry over the US military presence.

Ambassador John Roos appeared in front of television cameras pledging full cooperation after claims that a drunken serviceman broke a curfew and hit a 13-year-old in a private home.

"Let me be absolutely clear. I am very upset, it's an understatement to say I am very upset with the reported incident in Okinawa," Roos told reporters after being summoned to the Japanese foreign ministry in Tokyo.