Japan indicts US Marine on murder charge in Okinawa

TOKYO: Japanese prosecutors have indicted a US Marine on suspicion of murdering a woman on Okinawa, a court spokesman told AFP on Monday (Oct 26), in a case that prompted public outrage.

The alleged killing of the 39-year-old Japanese woman caused Japan's premier to slam the "heinous crime" and reignited controversy over the heavy US military presence on the southern island.

"The case was indicted on Oct 25," said the spokesman for the court in Naha, confirming media reports that the suspect had been indicted on charges of murder and robbery.

The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that, according to the indictment document, the 20-year-old suspect allegedly strangled the woman from Naha in a hotel with a telephone cord on Oct 3.

He is also accused of stealing a backpack containing the woman's wallet and other belongings, the newspaper said.

The Marine denied the allegations at the time of his arrest but has now made statements that imply some involvement in the case, the Yomiuri and other media said, citing investigative sources.

Crimes including rapes, assaults, hit-and-runs and drunk driving by US military personnel have long triggered protests on the southern Japanese island, which has for years urged other regions in the country to share the burden of hosting US troops.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has said that officials were reviewing the off-base code of conduct for US troops in Japan following the alleged killing.

The high-level bilateral consultations will examine off-duty conduct and the "liberty" policy governing off-base private activities of US military personnel, he said.

The existing policy, updated in 2024 following a string of sexual assaults by US military personnel in Okinawa, includes a ban on US military personnel drinking in public off base between 1am and am or going to bars during those hours.

The US military enacted a two-day operational pause after the Marine's arrest to reinforce discipline and standards, followed by a month-long curfew.

Crimes committed by US personnel have been a thorn in relations between the close security allies.

Last year, a Japanese court sentenced a US Marine accused of choking and attempting to rape a woman in her 20s to seven years in prison.

The United States has around 54,000 military personnel stationed in Japan, mostly on Okinawa.

In Japan, once a suspect is formally indicted, the conviction rate stands at more than 99 per cent.

The justice ministry says the near-perfect rates are because prosecutors only pursue airtight cases they are confident about winning.