A U.S. service member was arrested on suspicion of murder and robbery after a Japanese woman’s body was discovered in a hotel in Okinawa, local officials said, describing the alleged killing as a “heinous” incident that prompted the Japanese government to lodge a protest with the United States.

Shinjiro Koizumi, the Japanese minister of defense, said a U.S. Marine lance corporal was arrested on Sunday after the woman’s body was found early on Saturday in Naha, the capital city of the Okinawa prefecture.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the Okinawa Prefectural Police were investigating the incident as a murder.

“The occurrence of such an extremely brutal and heinous incident is a matter of profound regret, and as the Government of Japan, we have lodged a strong protest with the U.S. side,” she said on social media.

NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, identified the suspect as Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, who was stationed at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, a base a few miles outside Naha. The broadcaster identified the alleged victim as Yagi Anna, 39, saying she was pronounced dead at the scene.

U.S. officials did not immediately confirm the identity of the service member who was arrested, nor did they say whether the person had been officially charged in connection with the death.

“We are actively cooperating with Japanese authorities, in response to allegations of serious criminal actions by a Marine assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force,” the force said in a statement on social media. “We extend our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends.”

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Tens of thousands of U.S. troops are stationed across Japan, including in the country’s southernmost prefecture, Okinawa, which is home to several U.S. bases.

The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo said it was aware of the incident and was extending “our deepest condolences to the bereaved family of the deceased.”

“At present, an investigation is underway to clarify the facts, and the United States Government continues to cooperate closely with the Government of Japan and local authorities,” the embassy said in a statement.

George Glass, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, said he had spoken on Sunday morning with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Okinawa’s governor, adding that his office was providing full cooperation with an investigation into the death.

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