Japanese prosecutors charge US marine suspected of robbing and killing woman
Japanese prosecutors have charged a US marine with murdering and robbing a woman on Okinawa island, according to local media.
Prosecutors in Japan have filed formal charges against Devin Jacob Ballard, a 20-year-old lance corporal assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa. He is accused of fatally strangling Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in Naha and stealing her backpack containing a wallet, according to NHK.
Arrest and Evidence
Ballard was initially arrested on October 4, about a day after Yagi was found dead. Japanese media reported that surveillance camera footage near the scene showed a man entering a room with a woman and later leaving with her belongings. Ballard matched the suspect description and was voluntarily taken to a police station.
Incidents and accidents involving US military personnel cause great anxiety among the local community and must not be allowed to happen.
Broader Context
The killing has sparked protests in Okinawa and Tokyo, with political leaders condemning the crime. It has also triggered a curfew and alcohol ban for US military personnel stationed in Okinawa, where most of the 54,000 US troops in Japan are based.
Crimes by US troops have long strained US-Japan relations. In 2025, marine Jamel Clayton was sentenced to seven years for sexual assault. In 2017, Kenneth Shinzato received life imprisonment for raping and murdering an Okinawa woman, leading to an alcohol ban for all US personnel.
The Yomiuri Shimbun reported about 6,000 US military personnel have been arrested since Okinawa's return to Japan in 1972, with 80 arrests in 2024 marking a 20-year high.
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