Japanese officers have lodged a proper protest with Washington over the alleged theft and homicide
A US Marine has been arrested on suspicion of killing and robbing a girl in Okinawa, Japanese authorities have stated.
The sufferer, recognized as Anna Yagi, 39, was discovered lifeless in a lodge room in Naha, the prefectural capital, on Saturday. Okinawa is residence to a number of main American army installations and tens of 1000’s of US service members.
Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, who’s stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, is accused of strangling Yagi and stealing her pockets and backpack. He has denied the allegations.
Surveillance footage reportedly confirmed a person believed to be Ballard coming into the lodge with Yagi and later leaving alone with what seemed to be her belongings. Police situated him in an leisure district late Saturday.
The Marine Corps confirmed that Ballard is assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force and stated it was cooperating with Japanese authorities.
“The case deals a major shock and adds fear to the Okinawans who have already been forced to live next to US bases,” newly elected Okinawa Governor Genta Koja advised reporters. “It is absolutely unforgivable, and we are outraged.”
“I must say, discipline and troop education are not working at all,” he added, referring to measures launched by the US army following a sequence of sexual assault circumstances involving American personnel on the island.
The Japanese authorities lodged a proper protest with Washington on Sunday. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi demanded full cooperation with the investigation, stricter self-discipline amongst American personnel, and “thorough measures” to stop related incidents.
“The occurrence of such an extremely brutal and heinous incident is a matter of profound regret,” she wrote on X, extending sympathy to the sufferer’s household.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned US Ambassador George Glass, who pledged full cooperation with the investigation.
Okinawa accounts for simply 0.6% of Japan’s territory however hosts 70.3% of the land space of US army services in Japan which might be solely utilized by American forces, in response to the Okinawa prefectural authorities.
Concerns over crime, plane noise, and air pollution have fueled longstanding opposition to the bases. The 1995 abduction and rape of a 12-year-old woman by three US servicemen sparked mass protests. Demonstrations in opposition to the US army presence have continued, with a 2018 rally drawing an estimated 70,000 individuals.
In June 2024, Tokyo formally protested two alleged sexual assaults involving American personnel and delays in disclosing the circumstances. The Marine Corps subsequently stepped up sobriety checks and off-base patrols, whereas US Forces Japan later barred service members from off-base consuming institutions between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.
Despite these measures, additional sexual assault allegations involving American personnel adopted. In January 2025, then-Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi urged US Forces Japan to tighten self-discipline and take stronger measures to stop additional incidents.
(RT.com)