A US Marine was arrested following a woman's murder in Okinawa.
The incident sparked widespread street protests and online outrage across Japan.
Japanese officials issued formal protests demanding accountability for US military crimes.
The arrest of a US soldier who was accused of robbing and killing a woman has started protests in Okinawa, Japan, over crimes involving US military personnel there.
The US Marine, Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, was arrested on 4 October after a woman’s body was discovered in a hotel room in Okinawa. BBC reported that the 20 years marine was serving with the III Marine Expeditionary Force and was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan City.
A 39-year-old local woman named Anna Yagi was found dead in a hotel in Naha, Okinawa's capital city of Japan. The marine is suspected of taking the woman's backpack and wallet before morning on Saturday.
Her body was later discovered in her hotel room and the strangulation appeared to have caused her death. The suspect was arrested by an officer after he was seen walking alone on a street in Naha's entertainment district late Saturday, citing police, Kyodo News reported.
CNN reported that the suspect initially denied the charges. Police were refraining from commenting “on how the suspect is responding during the interrogation.” Prosecutors will decide whether to bring charges.
Protest In Japan
After news of the suspected murder broke, many people in Japan have started protesting. Around 100 people are protesting in both Naha and Tokyo, according to the BBC. Other citizens used social media to express their outrage and demanded justice for the victim.
Okinawa Gov. Genta Koja, while addressing the reporters, said, “The case deals a major shock and adds fear to the Okinawans who have already been forced to live next to U.S. bases.” He further added, “It is absolutely unforgivable, and we are outraged. I must say, discipline and troop education are not working at all.”
Japan filed a formal protest with Washington. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi called U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass to his office and conveyed “outrage,” the ministry said in a statement. BBC reported that the Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also registered an official protest with Washington.
Local anger over the US military presence in Okinawa has grown over the past few years as a series of accidents and crimes kept the issue politically sensitive on the island. The anger sharpened after the 2016 rape and murder of a 20-year-old local woman.
Tens of thousands took to the streets against the large US military presence on the island, and a former US Marine later got a life sentence for the killing.
