Marine in the alleged robbery and killing of a woman on Okinawa, officials said on Sunday (October 4, 2026), the latest criminal case on the southern island where the heavy American troop presence has remained a sensitive issue. Japanese police arrested a U.S.
Kyodo News agency, citing the police, reported the woman’s body was found in her hotel room and she appeared to have been strangled to death. Repeated occurrence of sexual crimes and some of their delayed disclosures have also sparked outrage on Okinawa in recent years. The Okinawa prefectural police said they arrested a 20-year-old Marine stationed at the Futenma Air Station on suspicion of killing a 39-year-old local woman at a hotel in Naha, Okinawa’s capital city, and taking her wallet and backpack in the early hours of Saturday. A high-profile 1995 rape of a 12-year-old girl by three U.S. service members sparked massive protests against the heavy U.S. troop presence on Okinawa. The number of arrests related to U.S. service members and their families exceeded 100 last year, according to prefectural police.
Mr. Glass, on X, expressed condolences to the victim’s family, adding that the United States is cooperating with the Japanese national and local governments. An officer arrested the suspect after spotting him walking alone on a street in Naha’s entertainment district late Saturday (October 3, 2026), Kyodo said.
Police said security camera footage showed the man believed to be the suspect entering the hotel with the victim and coming out alone.
“The occurrence of the heinous crime is extremely regrettable,” Takaichi said in her message on X. She said her government has strongly protested to the US side and demanded maximum cooperation with the Japanese authorities in the investigation, as well as tougher discipline for U.S. service members and preventive measures.
