A U.S. Marine is accused of killing a woman in Japan. Here

A woman was allegedly murdered in Okinawa by a U.S. Marine, sparking public anger. Japan’s prime minister condemned the killing as a “heinous crime.”

Security footage reportedly showed a man entering a hotel with the woman and later leaving by himself. Japanese prosecutors began reviewing the suspect’s case on Monday to decide whether to bring formal charges in the coming weeks.

The case has brought fresh attention to Okinawa’s large U.S. military presence. The island returned to Japanese sovereignty in 1972, but U.S. bases remained, placing a substantial share of the country’s military facilities there.

Local frustration has also grown over military-linked crime: prefectural police recorded 101 related cases last year, compared with about 40 in 2020. A past rape by three U.S. soldiers prompted calls to reconsider the 1960 agreement governing U.S. personnel in Japan.

Japanese authorities face limits on investigating inside bases and regulating some military aircraft. Under the procedures described by Japan’s bar association, a suspect who remains on base is not transferred to Japanese custody until indictment, even for an off-duty crime. Okinawans remain divided between opposition to the bases and recognition of their strategic role amid concerns about China.