Japan lodges protest with US over murder of Okinawa woman by Marine

The Japanese government has lodged a formal protest with the United States and demanded stricter discipline among US service members following the murder of an Okinawa prefecture resident, in which an American serviceman is the primary suspect, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced on X.

Takaichi stated that Tokyo demanded full US cooperation with local investigators, rigorous enforcement of troop discipline, and comprehensive preventative measures to avert any recurrence. On October 3, Okinawa police arrested a 20-year-old US Marine stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on suspicion of robbery and murder after a woman's body bearing signs of violent trauma was discovered in a hotel room.

Surveillance camera footage showed the suspect entering the room with the victim and later leaving alone; the serviceman has denied the allegations. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned US Ambassador to Tokyo George Glass on Sunday to deliver a stern protest over the incident.