US President Donald Trump participates in a bilateral meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City, US, September 22, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
Outrage poured in on Sunday after reports indicated a U.S. Marine had been arrested in Japan on suspicion of burglary and murder.
The Associated Press reported on the service member's arrest in Okinawa, a southern island that has had a large U.S. military presence since World War II. The report indicated that police arrested a 29-year-old Marine for allegedly killing a 39-year-old woman in a hotel in the island's capital of Naha, and taking her wallet and belongings afterward. The individual who has been accused of the crime was caught on video entering the hotel with the woman and leaving alone, the report added.
The report set off a firestorm in Japan and abroad.
“The case deals a major shock and adds fear to the Okinawans who have already been forced to live next to U.S. bases,” newly elected Okinawa Gov. Genta Koja told the AP. “It is absolutely unforgivable, and we are outraged.”
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi condemned the report in a statement to CNN.
"The occurrence of such anextremely brutal and heinousincident is a matter of profoundregret, and as the Japanesegovernment, we have lodged astrong protest with the U.S.side," she said.
CNN's Clare Sebastian reported that the U.S. embassy in Japan is cooperating in the investigation, and that it "risks political fallout between the U.S. and its key ally in the Pacific."
Geopolitical analysts expressed outrage at the report on social media.
"The US military rapes and murders in Japan. But clearly the biggest threat to Japan is China," Aidan Simardone, a geopolitical analyst and immigration lawyer, posted on X.
"This is just breaking news here in Japan, pissing off a lot of people and it’s not the first time," Thomas Logan, an East Asia strategist, posted on X.