US Marine arrested in Okinawa murder investigation as Japan protests
A 20-year-old US Marine has been arrested in Okinawa on suspicion of robbing and murdering a 39-year-old woman in a Naha hotel, Japanese police said. Tokyo has protested to Washington, while US officials offered condolences and pledged cooperation with the investigation.
A 20-year-old United States Marine has been arrested in Okinawa on suspicion of robbing and murdering a 39-year-old woman, Japanese police said. The incident occurred at a hotel in Naha, the capital of Okinawa prefecture. Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that security footage showed a foreign man entering a hotel room with a woman and later leaving with her belongings.
Police found a man matching the description and took him to a local police station, where he was arrested. The suspect reportedly denies the allegations. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the incident extremely regrettable and vicious.
Tokyo lodged an official protest with Washington, sought maximum cooperation with the investigation and called for stricter discipline among US military personnel. The US Marine Corps confirmed that a serviceman assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force and based at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma was in Japanese custody. It said the allegations were being taken seriously and that Marines were expected to meet high standards of behaviour.
US Ambassador George Glass said he had spoken with Japan’s Foreign Ministry and Okinawa’s governor, offered condolences and pledged full cooperation. Japan’s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said incidents involving US military personnel caused anxiety in local communities. Okinawa hosts most of the roughly 54,000 US military personnel stationed in Japan, including about 18,000 Marines.
The US presence has long generated local resentment over noise, accidents and crimes involving personnel. The source material says about 6,000 US military personnel have been arrested in Okinawa since 1972. The latest case is likely to add to tensions surrounding the bases, although the investigation remains ongoing.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.