Okinawa governor calls for review of U.S.-Japan troops pact in wake of woman’s murder

Updated on: November 9, 2026 / 5:38 AM EST / CBS/AFP

The governor of Okinawa said Monday he would request a review of a pact seen as giving the U.S. military preferential treatment in Japan, following a murder allegedly committed by an American Marine.

Prosecutors indicted the Marine last month on suspicion of murdering a 39-year-old Japanese woman at an Okinawa hotel, in a case that triggered outrage and reignited controversy over the U.S. military presence on the southern island.

The United States has around 54,000 military personnel stationed in Japan, mostly on Okinawa, and crimes committed by its personnel have been a thorn in relations between the close security allies.

Crimes including rapes, assaults, hit-and-run and drunk-driving incidents by U.S. personnel have long sparked protests on the island, which hosts about 70% of U.S. military facilities in Japan.

"I'll call for a fundamental review of the SOFA," said Okinawa Governor Genta Koja, referring to the 1960 Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement that critics say has rendered U.S. military bases virtually extraterritorial and immune to Japan's domestic laws.

Under the accord, U.S. military authorities have the primary right to investigate and punish service members in Japan when they are on…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/