A US Marine stationed in Okinawa has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a 39-year-old Japanese woman at a hotel in Naha, according to local police.
Police said the suspect allegedly killed the woman and stole her wallet and backpack. Japan's prime minister described the crime as "exceptionally brutal and vicious," according to the source.
The arrest was announced on Sunday. The Marine is assigned to the US military base in Okinawa, Japan's southern island. No further details about the suspect's identity, the circumstances of the alleged crime, or the investigation's status were provided in the available information.
The incident occurs amid longstanding tensions over the US military presence in Okinawa, where American forces have been stationed since the end of World War II.