TOKYO: Japanese prosecutors have indicted a US Marine on suspicion of murdering a woman in Okinawa, a court spokesman told AFP.
The case has prompted public outrage, 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 October 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 a 39-year-old woman from Naha in a hotel with a telephone cord on October 3.
He is also accused of stealing a backpack containing the woman’s wallet and other belongings, the newspaper said, and has been indicted on robbery charges.
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 US military enacted a two-day operational pause after the Marine’s arrest to reinforce discipline and standards, followed by a month-long curfew.