U.S. Marine’s Arrest In Killing On Okinawa Triggers Outrage In Japan

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese police arrested a U.S. Marine accused of robbing and killing a lady on Okinawa, officers stated Sunday, within the newest felony case involving U.S. army personnel on the southern island the place the heavy American troop presence is a delicate situation.

The Okinawa prefectural police stated they arrested a 20-year-old Marine stationed on the Futenma Air Station on suspicion of killing a 39-year-old native girl at a lodge in Naha, Okinawa’s capital metropolis, and taking her pockets and backpack early Saturday.

Kyodo News company, citing the police, reported the girl’s physique was present in her lodge room and she or he appeared to have been strangled.

Police stated safety digicam footage confirmed a person believed to be the suspect coming into the lodge with the girl and leaving alone. An officer arrested the suspect after recognizing him strolling alone on a avenue in Okinawa City’s leisure district late Saturday, Kyodo stated.

“The case offers a serious shock and provides worry to the Okinawans who’ve already been pressured to stay subsequent to U.S. bases,” newly elected Okinawa Gov. Genta Koja advised reporters. “It is totally unforgivable and we’re outraged.”

“I need to say, self-discipline and troop schooling aren’t working in any respect,” stated Koja, referring to the U.S. military’s measures taken in response to past criminal cases.

Some 50,000 U.S. troops are deployed in Japan beneath a bilateral safety pact, about half of them on Okinawa, whose strategic position is seen as more and more vital for the Japan-U.S. army alliance amid rising tensions with China. Japan’s southwestern shift in its military focus centers closely on Okinawa and its close by islands.

Okinawans have lengthy complained about noise, air pollution and crime associated to U.S. bases, with crimes involving U.S. service members on Okinawa complicating ties between Japan’s central authorities and the Okinawa administration. The newest case comes as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cupboard pushes to additional fortify its Japanese army presence on Okinawa and work extra intently with the U.S. army.

“The prevalence of the heinous crime is extraordinarily regrettable,” Takaichi stated in her message on X. She stated her authorities has strongly protested to the U.S. facet and demanded most cooperation with the Japanese authorities within the investigation, in addition to harder self-discipline for U.S. service members and preventive measures.

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass to his workplace and conveyed “outrage,” the ministry stated in an announcement.

Glass, on X, expressed condolences to the sufferer’s household, including that the United States is cooperating with the Japanese nationwide and native governments.

The U.S. Marine Corps stated in an announcement the suspect is assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force on Okinawa and that it’s absolutely cooperating with Japanese authorities. “The Marine Corps takes these allegations very severely and expects each Marine to stick to the best requirements of conduct.”

Futenma base, positioned in a densely populated space in central Okinawa, has been a sore spot for a lot of Okinawans for many years, who demanded its relocation. Despite protests, the central authorities greenlit building to relocate the bottom to Henoko on Okinawa’s jap coast, although the undertaking has confronted massive delays.

The rape of a 12-year-old woman by three U.S. service members in 1995 sparked large protests in opposition to the heavy U.S. troop presence on Okinawa. The variety of arrests associated to U.S. service members and their households exceeded 100 final yr, in accordance with prefectural police. Repeated prevalence of sexual crimes and a few of their delayed disclosures have additionally sparked outrage on Okinawa in recent times.

This story corrects the situation the place the suspect was noticed after the alleged crime to Okinawa City, not Naha.