A U.S. Marine has been arrested in Japan on suspicion of murder and robbery after a woman was found dead inside a hotel in Okinawa, prompting the Japanese government to lodge a formal protest with the United States.
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the Marine, who holds the rank of lance corporal, was arrested Sunday after the woman’s body was discovered early Saturday at a hotel in Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Okinawa Prefectural Police are investigating the woman’s death as a murder, describing the incident as “extremely brutal and heinous.”
Takaichi said the Japanese government had lodged a strong protest with U.S. authorities over the case.
Japan’s public broadcaster NHK identified the suspect as 20-year-old Devin Jacob Ballard, who was stationed at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, located several miles outside Naha.
NHK identified the woman as 39-year-old Yagi Anna and reported that she was pronounced dead at the scene.
U.S. officials have not publicly confirmed the identity of the arrested service member or said whether formal charges have been filed.
The III Marine Expeditionary Force said it was cooperating with Japanese authorities over allegations of serious criminal conduct involving a Marine assigned to the unit.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends,” the force said in a statement.
The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo also expressed condolences to the woman’s family and said American authorities were cooperating closely with the Japanese government and local investigators as they work to establish the circumstances surrounding her death.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass said he had spoken with Japan’s Foreign Ministry and the governor of Okinawa and pledged full cooperation with the investigation.
The case is likely to draw renewed attention to the U.S. military presence in Okinawa, which hosts a significant concentration of American forces stationed in Japan.
Tens of thousands of U.S. military personnel are stationed across Japan under the countries’ longstanding security alliance, with several major American military installations located in Okinawa.
Japanese authorities have not yet released further details about the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death, and the investigation remains ongoing.
