NAHA, Japan: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi protested to the United States on Sunday 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 Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in Naha, the capital of Okinawa prefecture, on Saturday and taking her wallet and backpack, police said. Ballard denied the allegations, police added.
“The occurrence of such an extremely brutal and vicious incident is extremely regrettable,” Takaichi said in a statement. “The government of Japan strongly protests to the US side and strongly seeks maximum cooperation with the investigation,” she said, while also calling for tighter discipline and measures to prevent a recurrence.
🇯🇵🇺🇸 PM Sanae Takaichi expressed condolences following a robbery-murder in Naha, Okinawa, involving the arrest of a U.S. Marine.
Takaichi called the incident “extremely brutal and heinous” and said Japan lodged a strong protest with the U.S.
Tokyo demanded maximum investigative cooperation, strict discipline for U.S. military personnel and stronger measures to prevent recurrence.
— Asia Nexus (@nexusasian) October 4, 2026
The US embassy and the Marine Corps expressed condolences over the incident and said they were cooperating with Japanese authorities. The Marine Corps said the suspect, who is assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force and based at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, was in Japanese custody.
A U.S. Marine was arrested in Okinawa on suspicion of murdering and robbing a 39-year-old Japanese woman whose body was found in a hotel in Naha.
Japanese media identified the suspect as 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the killing an “extremely brutal and heinous incident” and said Japan lodged a strong protest with the U.S.
— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 4, 2026
“The Marine Corps takes these allegations very seriously and expects every Marine to adhere to the highest standards of behaviour,” it said.
Most of the 18,000 US Marines stationed in Japan are based in Okinawa, where the US maintained control until 1972 after the end of World War Two.
READ ALSO: Two US Marines Accused of Rape in Japan’s Okinawa
Their presence has repeatedly caused resentment among local residents over issues including noise, aircraft accidents and the conduct of military personnel. In 1995, the rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl by three US servicemen sparked mass protests.
Saturday’s killing could complicate Takaichi’s efforts to relocate some Marines from the crowded Futenma air base to a more remote facility at Henoko. Opponents of the plan have called for US troops to be moved out of Okinawa altogether.
Okinawa, whose closest point is about 100 km (60 miles) from Taiwan, is regarded by Tokyo and Washington as strategically important for regional security.
