Japan Summons US Envoy Over Arrest of US Marine in Okinawa Killing, Triggering Diplomatic Row
Al Jazeera and the BBC report that Japan has summoned the US ambassador to Japan over the arrest of a US Marine in Okinawa in connection with the killing of a local woman. The case is the latest incident to reignite a US-Japan diplomatic storm over US military personnel crimes on Okinawa, putting base realignment, the Status of Forces Agreement and Okinawan public sentiment back at the center of public debate. The episode is once again testing the coordination mechanisms of the US-Japan alliance on sensitive criminal matters and will shape Okinawan attitudes toward the US military presence and Tokyo’s policy choices on the base question.