(Provisional translation by an external company for reference purpose only)
I summoned Stephen F. JOST, Commander, United States (U.S.) Forces Japan, to the Ministry of Defense (MOD) today at around 4:50 p.m., directly conveyed to him that the Japan side was taking the robbery and murder incident which has just occurred in Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture extremely seriously, and lodged a strong protest with the U.S. side. In addition, I called for an appropriate response to the bereaved family and full cooperation with the criminal investigation, and strongly demanded that the U.S. side implement thorough enforcement of discipline and take recurrence prevention measures so that this kind of tragedy is never repeated again. The MOD will continue to coordinate closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant agencies while responding to this matter. This concludes my announcement.