NAHA — Japanese police arrested U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, on Sunday in connection with the robbery and killing of a woman in a hotel room in Naha, Okinawa. The arrest has intensified decades of frustration among local residents over crimes involving U.S. military personnel on the island.
Police said 39-year-old Anna Yagi was found dead early Oct. 3 in a Naha hotel room. Local media, citing police, reported that Yagi appeared to have been strangled with a cord. Security footage allegedly shows a man believed to be Ballard entering the hotel with Yagi and later leaving alone with her belongings.
Ballard, assigned to III Marine Expeditionary Force, was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan City. He is currently in Japanese custody.
Okinawa hosts the largest U.S. military presence in Japan, with several U.S. military bases and approximately 55,000 American military personnel stationed on the island. This presence has been a long-standing point of contention for local residents.
Ai Sato, a 52-year-old Okinawa resident, expressed deep disappointment: "Honestly my first reaction was, 'Not again.' Nothing has changed since I was a child. How many times are we going to repeat the same thing, create more victims, cause their families to suffer, and ultimately, cause the people of Okinawa to grieve?"
Akemi Oshiro, 62, of Ginowan, said: "I know we shouldn't get used to terrible things like this, but because they keep happening, I've stopped being surprised."
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi issued an official protest to Washington. She said her government "has strongly protested to the U.S. side and has called for the fullest possible cooperation with the investigation, thorough discipline among U.S. military personnel, and comprehensive measures to prevent the recurrence of crimes and accidents."
Okinawa Governor Genta Koja criticized the U.S. military. "The fact that this kind of event has happened again leaves us no choice but to conclude that the U.S. military's efforts in maintaining discipline, educating personnel, and other such measures are completely ineffective," Koja said.
Protests erupted in both Naha and Tokyo, with about 100 people demonstrating against the U.S. presence. Many others voiced outrage on social media and demanded justice.
This incident follows a history of crimes by U.S. military personnel that have fueled local opposition. In 2016, tens of thousands of protesters demonstrated after a 20-year-old local woman was raped and murdered by a former U.S. Marine, who received a life sentence for the crime.
