US Marine arrested in Okinawa for murder of Japanese woman
A United States service member is in custody on suspicion of killing a Japanese national on the island of Okinawa, reports BritPanorama.
Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, is suspected of killing Anna Yagi, 39, in a hotel in Naha, the capital of the southernmost prefecture, on Saturday and taking her wallet and backpack, local police said. Ballard denied the allegations, police added.
The Marine was stationed at Futenma Air Station on Okinawa Island, with authorities stating he was arrested at 1 a.m. local time early Sunday.
“An investigation is underway to determine the facts of the case. The United States is communicating and cooperating with the Government of Japan and local authorities,” the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo said Sunday in a post on X.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the death as an alleged robbery and murder, expressing grave concern over the incident. “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 stated on social media.
Japan’s Ministry of Defense expressed being “deeply outraged by the extremely brutal and heinous crime committed by a U.S. Marine,” stating on X that it had made “a firm demand for stricter discipline, thorough measures to prevent recurrence.”
The III Marine Expeditionary Force, a combat force of the U.S. Marine Corps stationed in Okinawa, confirmed its cooperation with Japanese authorities regarding the “allegations of serious criminal actions by a Marine.” It added, “The Marine Corps takes these allegations very seriously and expects every Marine to adhere to the highest standards of behavior. The Marine is in custody of local authorities while investigations proceed.”
U.S. Ambassador to Japan, George Glass, indicated that he had spoken with Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Okinawa Governor Genta Koja, “pledging full cooperation as the investigation continues.”
There are 18,000 U.S. Marines based in Japan, the majority in Okinawa, situated just 60 miles from Taiwan at its closest point. The island was under U.S. control from the end of World War II until 1972, and the presence of U.S. military personnel has often stirred resentment among local residents.
The 1995 abduction and rape of a 12-year-old girl by three U.S. servicemen sparked mass protests, prompting tens of thousands to take to the streets and forcing Washington and Tokyo to discuss ways to reduce the U.S. military presence on the island.
