NAHA, Japan - A 20-year-old U.S. Marine was arrested Sunday in Okinawa Prefecture on suspicion of robbing and murdering a local woman, police said, prompting Japan to lodge an immediate protest with the United States and sparking outrage from the governor of the island prefecture, which hosts a heavy U.S. military presence.
Devin Ballard, stationed at the Futenma air base, is suspected of killing Anna Yagi, 39, and taking her wallet and backpack in the early hours of Saturday at a hotel in Naha, according to the Okinawa prefectural police. The suspect has denied the charges, they added.
Ballard was seen entering the hotel with Yagi, who was found dead on Saturday morning, the police said, adding that she died from suffocation due to being strangled.
A police officer questioned and detained the suspect as he walked alone on a street in Naha's entertainment district late Saturday.
The Japanese government quickly protested to the U.S. side at various levels, describing the alleged crime as "brutal and heinous." Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on X that it is "extremely regrettable" that such a crime has occurred.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass to the ministry and lodged a "strong protest."
Motegi demanded that the U.S. fully cooperate with the investigation, urging it to strengthen discipline and take preventive measures, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
Glass vowed full U.S. cooperation with Japanese authorities in their investigation, adding that the U.S. would do everything it could to prevent similar incidents, the ministry said.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi also lodged a protest with Lt. Gen. Stephen Jost, commander of U.S. Forces Japan, at the ministry in Tokyo.
Glass earlier wrote in a post on X that he had called Okinawa Gov. Genta Koja, "offering our sincere condolences and pledging full cooperation as the investigation continues."
Koja, who became Okinawa governor last month, said the incident had caused a "tremendous shock" to the people of Okinawa, who have had "no choice but to live next to U.S. military bases."
"It is utterly unacceptable and extremely outrageous," Koja said in a statement.
Past crimes involving U.S. service members have angered residents in Okinawa, which hosts the bulk of U.S. military installations in Japan.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of our family member," the older brother of Yagi said in a statement released via local police.
Under the bilateral Status of Forces Agreement, Japan has the primary right to exercise jurisdiction over offenses committed by off-duty U.S. military personnel.
Ballard remains in Japanese custody as the Okinawa prefectural police arrested him off base.
The incident comes as construction work continues for the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma within the prefecture despite persistent local opposition.
The U.S. military strengthened preventive measures after previously undisclosed sexual assault cases involving its personnel came to light in 2024.
On Sunday, protesters gathered across Okinawa, including more than 160 people in front of the prefectural government building.
"It may happen to my kids or me. You never know," Ayumi Arakawa, 44, said in Uruma, accompanied by her daughters.
The U.S. Marine Corps said in a statement that it was "actively cooperating with Japanese authorities in response to allegations of serious criminal actions by a Marine," adding that it takes the allegations "very seriously."
