Rubio offers Japan condolences over murder linked to US Marine

US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Saturday offered his “sincere condolences” to his Japanese counterpart over the murder in Okinawa allegedly committed by a US Marine, and pledged US cooperation in the investigation.

A US Marine stationed on Okinawa has been arrested on suspicion of killing a 39-year-old woman at a hotel in the Japanese city of Naha and stealing her wallet.

Local media have reported the woman was choked to death and that the Marine is denying the allegations.

In his call with Japanese foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi, Rubio “expressed sincere condolences over the death of a Japanese national in Okinawa,” the State Department said in a readout.

Rubio also conveyed “the United States’ determination to communicate and fully cooperate with the Government of Japan and local authorities as they conduct an investigation,” it said.

The killing has triggered outrage in Japan, where crimes involving US forces have been a thorn in relations between the close security allies, and have long inflamed criticism of the presence of US troops in the country.

The United States has around 54,000 military personnel stationed in Japan, mostly on Okinawa, a southern island.

The US military instituted a 30-day curfew that began Friday, ordering troops to be back on base in assigned quarters or at off-base housing from midnight to 5am.