Japan lodged a formal protest with the US and summoned its envoy Sunday after an American soldier was arrested on suspicion of committing what Japan’s prime minister called an “extremely brutal and vicious” murder on Okinawa.
Past violent offenses by US servicemembers have created deep tension between the US and Japan, particularly on Okinawa, where most of the 50,000 US troops in Japan reside.
A rape and murder produced large protests in 2016, as did the rape of a girl in 1995. Saturday’s incident will complicate Tokyo’s cooperation goals, with one Japanese lawmaker saying the US is “failing completely” to train and discipline troops.
Relations are already strained: Japan’s leader stepped onto an empty New York tarmac last month amid a currency dispute.