PM Takaichi Willing to Talk with U.S. after Marine Arrest

Tokyo, Oct. 7 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met with Okinawa Governor Genta Koja in Tokyo on Wednesday and expressed her willingness to talk with the United States following the arrest of a U.S. Marine for allegedly murdering a woman in the southern Japan prefecture on Saturday.

During the meeting at the prime minister's office, Koja said that the incident was "absolutely unacceptable" and demanded that the Japanese government urge the U.S. side to fully cooperate with the investigation and tighten discipline.

This was the first meeting between Takaichi and Koja since the new governor was elected last month.

Takaichi expressed strong indignation over the incident and said, "I want to hold further Japan-U.S. talks" to ensure the effectiveness of measures to prevent a recurrence.

"Human rights education for U.S. service members has not worked at all," Koja said, citing continued criminal incidents involving them in Okinawa. He proposed that the Japanese government become actively involved in education rather than leaveing it entirely to the U.S. side.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]