Japan summons US envoy after marine arrested in Okinawa murder case
Japan lodged a formal protest with the United States following the arrest of a US Marine suspected of killing a woman in Okinawa, and the US ambassador pledged full cooperation with the investigation.
Japan summoned the United States ambassador on Sunday after a US Marine was detained on suspicion of robbing and murdering 39-year-old Anna Yagi in Okinawa, where thousands of US service members are stationed. The Marine, Lance-Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, has denied the charges.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass said the United States “confirmed our policy of providing full cooperation with the investigation” and offered condolences on social media. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi posted that the incident was a matter of profound regret and said the government had lodged a strong protest while demanding maximum cooperation.
Japan’s defence minister Shinjiro Koizumi added that incidents involving US military personnel cause significant anxiety for the local community and must not occur. Local media reported CCTV footage showing a non-Japanese man entering a hotel room with the victim in Naha and later leaving with items that appeared to be her belongings.
Okinawa hosts about 54,000 US military personnel, including 18,000 Marines, and since the island’s reversion to Japanese control in 1972, roughly 6,000 US service members have been arrested in Japan, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun.