Wife of U.S. serviceman found dead in Fukuoka hotel; husband detained by U.S. Navy

FUKUOKA — Police in Fukuoka are investigating the death of an American woman whose body was found in a hotel on Monday morning.

The woman was married to a U.S. serviceman who has been taken into custody by the U.S. Navy, NHK reported.

According to police, an employee of the hotel called 110 at around 9:20 a.m. Monday and said a woman may have committed suicide in a room.

Police officers who rushed to the scene found the woman collapsed in the room and she was confirmed dead. Police said there were signs of external injury and that the body was fully clothed.

On Tuesday, Fukuoka prefectural police and the U.S. Navy confirmed that the deceased woman was an American citizen and the wife of a U.S. serviceman at Sasebo Base in Nagasaki Prefecture.

Police said hotel security camera footage showed the woman and a man, believed to be her husband, checking into the hotel at around 7 p.m. on Oct 25, and the man leaving alone on the morning of Oct 27.

The U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service is investigating the incident. The Fukuoka police investigation is limited due to the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, which grants the U.S. military priority.

The U.S. Navy has not disclosed the man's affiliation or rank.

© Japan Today