Japanese man accused of threatening U.S. Embassy

An Okinawa man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of making bomb threats aimed at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo and a U.S. military base on Okinawa, local media reported.

Mitsuyoshi Kamiya, 52, admitted making three phone calls threatening the embassy and Camp Schwab in Japan's southern Okinawa prefecture, between March 5 and 14, Japan's Kyodo News reported, citing Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department.

Earlier this week, Japanese media reported that U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy received telephone death threats at the embassy in February. The caller spoke English and threatened to kill Kennedy, daughter of President John Kennedy, Japan's Nippton TV reported.

Japan's NHK network said police suspect Kamiya may have made the calls directed at Kennedy.

Similar calls were also made to the U.S. consul in Naha, Okinawa, threatening to kill Alfred Magleby, who has been the U.S. consul general since 2012.

The relationship between Americans and Japanese on Okinawa has been rocky, with some locals viewing the U.S. military presence on the island as an occupation. U.S. military bases cover about 20% of Okinawa's 465 square miles, and about half the U.S. service personnel stationed in Japan are on the island.

The threats took place shortly before the U.S. ambassador to South Korea was seriously injured in an attack.

Ambassador Mark Lippert, was slashed by an anti-American activist in Seoul two weeks ago. Lippert needed 80 stitches on the side of his face and was wounded in the arm.