U.S. Marine arrested on suspicion of killing Japanese woman in Okinawa – NBC News

U.S. Marine arrested on suspicion of killing Japanese woman in Okinawa  NBC News

A U.S. service member is in custody on suspicion of killing a Japanese national on the island of Okinawa. Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, is suspected of killing Anna Yagi, 39, in a hotel in Naha, the capital of the southernmost prefecture, on Saturday and taking her wallet and backpack, ​local police told the Reuters news agency. Ballard denied the allegations, police said. The Marine was stationed at Futenma Air Station on Okinawa Island, police said, adding that he was arrested at 1 a.m. local time Sunday. “An investigation is underway to determine the facts of the case, the United States is communicating and cooperating with the Government of Japan and local authorities,” the U.S.

Embassy in Tokyo said Sunday on X. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the death as an alleged robbery and murder. “The occurrence of such an extremely brutal and heinous incident is a matter of profound regret, and as the Government of Japan, we have lodged a strong protest with the U.S. side,” she said on social media. Japan’s Defense Ministry said it was “deeply outraged by the extremely brutal and heinous crime committed by a U.S. Marine.” It said on X that it had made “a firm demand for stricter discipline, thorough measures to prevent recurrence.” The III Marine Expeditionary Force, a combat