Japanese police have arrested a US Marine suspected of killing a 39-year-old woman and stealing her belongings at a hotel in Okinawa, in a case that has renewed concerns over crimes involving US military personnel on the southern Japanese island.
Okinawa prefectural police said the 20-year-old Marine, who is stationed at Futenma Air Station, was arrested on suspicion of killing the woman at a hotel in Naha, the prefectural capital, early Saturday.
Kyodo News, citing police, reported that the woman was found dead inside her hotel room and appeared to have been strangled. Her wallet and backpack were also allegedly taken.
Security camera footage reportedly showed a man believed to be the suspect entering the hotel with the woman before leaving alone.
Police later arrested the suspect after an officer spotted him walking alone in Naha’s entertainment district on Saturday night, Kyodo reported.
Newly elected Okinawa Governor Genta Koja expressed outrage over the incident, saying it had caused further fear among residents who already live alongside US military bases.
“The case deals a major shock and adds fear to the Okinawans who have already been forced to live next to US bases,” Koja told reporters.
He also criticised the effectiveness of disciplinary measures and troop education following previous criminal cases involving US military personnel.
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the incident was “extremely regrettable”, adding that her government had lodged a strong protest with the US and demanded full cooperation with Japanese authorities.
She also called for stricter discipline among US service members and stronger preventive measures.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi separately summoned US Ambassador to Japan George Glass and conveyed Japan’s “outrage” over the incident, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Glass expressed condolences to the victim’s family and said the US would cooperate with Japanese national and local authorities.
The US Marine Corps said the suspect is assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force on Okinawa and that it was fully cooperating with Japanese authorities.
“The Marine Corps takes these allegations very seriously and expects every Marine to adhere to the highest standards of behaviour,” it said.
Around 50,000 US troops are stationed in Japan under a bilateral security agreement, with about half based in Okinawa. The island plays an increasingly important strategic role in the Japan-US alliance amid growing tensions with China.
Okinawa residents have long raised concerns over noise, pollution and crime associated with the US military presence.
The latest case has added to longstanding tensions between Okinawa’s administration and Japan’s central government over the concentration of US forces on the island.
Futenma Air Station, located in a densely populated area of central Okinawa, has been a particular source of controversy, with residents calling for its relocation.
The US military presence has also faced strong opposition since the 1995 rape of a 12-year-old girl by three US service members, which triggered mass protests.
According to Okinawa prefectural police, arrests involving US service members and their families exceeded 100 last year, while repeated reports of sexual offences have continued to fuel public anger.
