The U.S. ambassador said his office was "providing full cooperation with the investigation."

A U.S. service member was arrested on suspicion of murder and robbery after a Japanese woman’s body was discovered in a hotel in Okinawa, local officials said, describing the alleged killing as a “heinous” incident that prompted the Japanese government to lodge a protest with the United States.

Shinjiro Koizumi, the Japanese minister of defense, said a U.S. Marine lance corporal was arrested on Sunday after the woman’s body was found early on Saturday in Naha, the capital city of the Okinawa prefecture.

NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, identified the suspect as Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, who was stationed at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, a base a few miles outside Naha. The broadcaster identified the alleged victim as Yagi Anna, 39, saying she was pronounced dead at the scene after being found at about 4:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the Okinawa Prefectural Police were investigating the incident as a murder.

  • robear@lemmy.zip
    7·
    4 days ago

    the Japanese of imperial era have been dead and buried for over 80 years

    The government has refused to apologize. Schools don’t say anything bad about imperial Japan. Every new years my local shrine hangs up the rising sun flag signed by all the local soldiers who were out commiting heinous acts in neighbouring countries. If you’ve ever visited Japan and stayed in an APA hotel, the owner is the Japanese equivalent of a Holocaust denier and has a book in the drawer of every room explaining Japan did nothing wrong. Even the Hiroshima peace museum starts its plea for pity with “somehow Japan found itself at war”. Not to mention government celebration of war criminals at Yasukuni.

    Japan has a cultural problem acknowledging their wrongdoings during the war. Japanese people are now very pro-peace in general, but it’s a mistake to pretend the past can’t repeat if we don’t remember and understand it.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.worldEnglish
      71·
      4 days ago

      The government has refused to apologize. Schools don’t say anything bad about imperial Japan. Every new years my local shrine hangs up the rising sun flag signed by all the local soldiers who were out commiting heinous acts in neighbouring countries. If you’ve ever visited Japan and stayed in an APA hotel, the owner is the Japanese equivalent of a Holocaust denier and has a book in the drawer of every room explaining Japan did nothing wrong. Even the Hiroshima peace museum starts its plea for pity with “somehow Japan found itself at war”. Not to mention government celebration of war criminals at Yasukuni.

      How has US occupation improved that?

      • robear@lemmy.zip
        43·
        4 days ago

        What does this have to do with the US? You literally just claimed Japan has no responsibility to make amends for the war because:

        the Japanese of imperial era have been dead and buried for over 80 years