Okinawa calls for US forces pact revision after murder

Lawmakers in Okinawa adopted a resolution on Friday calling for revisions to the Japan Status of Forces Agreement after a US Marine was arrested on suspicion of killing a Japanese woman.

The resolution passed 45 votes to two, local media said, and is expected to be submitted to the US embassy. The Okinawa assembly also adopted an opinion statement with the same aim, to be sent to the Japanese government.

The assembly called for a fundamental revision of the pact, including provisions on handing over suspects. The 1960 agreement is often accused of giving US military bases in Japan broad protections from domestic law.

Ryotaro Odo, who leads the assembly's special committee on US military bases, said the case showed limits in the US military's training programme and discipline.

Police said on Sunday that a US Marine stationed on Okinawa was arrested on suspicion of killing a 39-year-old woman at a hotel in Naha and stealing her wallet. Local media reported that the woman was choked to death and that the Marine denies the allegations.

The United States has around 54,000 military personnel stationed in Japan, most of them on Okinawa. Crimes involving US military personnel have long triggered protests on the island.