Japan arrests US military base employee in Okinawa

Police in Japan's Okinawa prefecture have arrested a civilian employee of the US military there. He is suspected of abandoning a woman's body.

US military base in Okinawa, Japan. Photo: Reuters

Police said on Thursday they arrested Kenneth Franklin Shinzato, 32, a resident of Yonabaru town in Okinawa prefecture, southwestern Japan.

Police believe the man abandoned the body of Shimabukuro Rina, an employee of a company in Uruma City in the prefecture, in a wooded area in Onna Village, between the night of April 28 and early the next morning.

On the evening of April 28, Ms. Shimabukuro went missing after sending a text message to the man she lived with. In the message, she wrote that she was going for a walk.

Police plan to investigate the circumstances and perform an autopsy on Friday to determine the cause of death.

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo expressed strong indignation at this incident. Speaking to the press, Mr. Abe said he was speechless when thinking about the victim's family.

He said he would call on the US government to take strict measures to prevent similar incidents from recurring, adding that Foreign Minister Kishida Fumio and Defense Minister Nakatani Gen had spoken with US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy and other officials on Thursday evening.

According to NHK World