Okinawa Murder Case Japan protests US over Marine accused of killing woman

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has lodged a strong protest with the United States after a US Marine was arrested on suspicion of robbing and murdering a Japanese woman in Okinawa.

Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, is suspected of killing 39-year-old Anna Yagi at a hotel in Naha, the capital of Okinawa prefecture, on Saturday, according to Japanese police. Ballard has denied the allegations.

Takaichi described the incident as “extremely brutal and vicious” and said Japan had formally protested to the US.

She called for full US cooperation with the investigation, tighter discipline among US military personnel and measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring again.

The US Embassy in Tokyo and the Marine Corps expressed condolences to the victim’s family and said they were cooperating with Japanese authorities.

The Marine Corps said Ballard, who is assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force and based at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, remained in Japanese custody. It said it was taking the allegations seriously and expected Marines to maintain high standards of conduct.

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The case has renewed attention on the long-running tensions surrounding the US military presence in Okinawa. About 18,000 US Marines are stationed in Japan, with most based in Okinawa, where residents have raised concerns over noise, aircraft accidents and incidents involving military personnel.

A 1995 rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl by three US servicemen triggered large protests and intensified opposition to the US military presence on the island.

The latest incident could also complicate discussions over the relocation of some Marines from the heavily populated Futenma air base to a new facility at Henoko. Some opponents of the plan have called for US forces to be moved out of Okinawa altogether.

Okinawa is strategically important to both Japan and the United States because of its proximity to Taiwan and its role in their regional security strategy.

The investigation into the death remains ongoing, and Ballard has not been convicted of any offence.