Recently, a US military soldier stationed in Okinawa was suspected of killing a woman in Okinawa, which caused dissatisfaction among the Japanese public. According to a report by the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun on October 5th, after the protest raised by the Okinawa Prefectural Government, Benjamin Walters, the highest-ranking official of the US military stationed in Japan, met with the Prefectural Government officials at their office in Okinawa on the 5th, but did not apologize for this matter.
The newly elected Okinawa County Governor, Kushei Shunko, met with officials from the U.S. military stationed in Okinawa and the U.S. Consulate General in Okinawa at the county government building. She expressed her “deep regret and strong anger” to them. Kushei urged the U.S. side to fully cooperate with the investigation into the case and demanded that the U.S. take “effective and fundamental measures” to prevent such incidents from happening again.
After receiving criticism from Japan, Waterson responded by expressing his condolences over the victim’s death. He said, “I understand that this incident has caused concern and worry among the local people. We will require our officers and soldiers to adhere to the highest standards of conduct.”
Video screenshot of Benjamin Watansey, the highest-ranking U.S. military officer stationed in Japan
According to Japanese media such as Kyodo News, Vatson did not apologize for this matter, and also avoided using words expressing apology during his speech. When asked why he did not apologize to the victims and the local government, Vatson replied, "I will not comment on cases that are still under investigation."
Regarding this, Gu Xie Xuany Tai accepted a Japanese media interview and said that the US side "has received the protest". He revealed that the US side had already made a statement beforehand, "since the suspect denies responsibility, their guilt has not been confirmed so they cannot apologize."
On April 4th, the police of Okinawa Prefecture in Japan arrested a U.S. military soldier stationed in Japan. He is suspected of robbing and killing a local woman at a hotel in Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, in the early hours of the 3rd day.
After the incident, the United States Marine Corps stated in a statement that the suspect was part of the Third Marine Expeditionary Force stationed in Okinawa and was cooperating fully with Japanese authorities. The statement read: “The Marine Corps takes these allegations very seriously and expects every Marine to adhere to the highest standards of conduct.”
According to reports by the American Broadcasting Company on the 5th, this soldier has been transferred to the prosecutor's office.
For a long time, there have been frequent crimes committed by US military personnel stationed in Japan, including murders, rapes, and robberies. In 2025 alone, the Okinawa Prefectural Police uncovered over 100 criminal cases involving US military personnel and related individuals. However, according to the Japan-US Status Agreement, if US military personnel are suspected of committing crimes in Japan, the United States has priority jurisdiction. As a result, many cases involving US military personnel often go unnoticed.
