TOKYO — A U.S. Marine has been arrested on suspicion of killing and robbing a Japanese woman in Okinawa, officials say, prompting Tokyo to lodge a protest with the United States on Sunday.
Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, is accused of killing Anna Yagi, 39, in a hotel Saturday, police told Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK. Ballard has denied the allegations, a spokesman said.
The III Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Okinawa, said it was cooperating with authorities “in response to allegations of serious criminal actions.”
“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,” it added.
Surveillance footage showed a man entering the hotel with a woman and later leaving with her belongings, NHK reported.
Yagi was pronounced dead at the scene, police said, and some of her belongings were found abandoned near the hotel. Police did not respond to a request for comment Sunday. Japan’s defense minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, said the arrested Marine is a lance corporal.
In a statement on X, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the incident “extremely brutal and heinous.” She said her government has “lodged a strong protest with the U.S. side, while firmly demanding maximum cooperation with the investigation, strict discipline among U.S. military personnel, and thorough measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents and accidents.”
In a statement issued to local media, the victim’s brother said his family is “devastated by the loss of our family member.”
The incident reignites long-standing tensions over the U.S. military’s presence on the southern island, which hosts over half of the more than 50,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan and has the largest U.S. air base in the Asia-Pacific.
Officials have repeatedly raised concerns about hosting U.S. troops, particularly over crime, alcohol consumption and environmental contamination. The 1995 rape of an Okinawan schoolgirl by three American servicemen prompted mass protests on the island.
Genta Koja, Okinawa’s governor, said on X that the incident “delivered a profound shock to the prefectural residents who are forced to live side by side with military bases, giving rise to new anxieties.”
The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo said an investigation was underway “to clarify the facts.”
“The United States Government continues to cooperate closely with the Government of Japan and local authorities,” it said on X.
George Glass, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, said he has spoken with the country’s Foreign Ministry, “offering our sincere condolences and pledging full cooperation as the investigation continues.”
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