{"id":793438,"date":"2026-10-06T06:26:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T06:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/793438\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T06:26:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T06:26:13","slug":"japan-pm-leads-outcry-after-us-marine-arrested-over-alleged-killing-of-woman-on-okinawa-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/793438\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan PM leads outcry after US Marine arrested over alleged killing of woman on Okinawa | Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Japan\u2019s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has led public outcry over crimes committed by US servicemen after a marine suspected of killing a woman on Okinawa<\/a> was arrested on Saturday.<\/p>\n

In a speech in parliament, Takaichi described the alleged crime as \u201cheinous\u201d and urged US military<\/a> authorities to enforce discipline among American servicemen stationed on Okinawa, an island 1,000 miles south of Tokyo.<\/p>\n

Crimes and accidents involving US troops on Okinawa have been a constant source of tension between Tokyo and Washington and the target of protests among local people. The island hosts most of the 50,000 US troops in Japan<\/a> and 70% of the country\u2019s military facilities there.<\/p>\n

Police said Devin Ballard, a 20-year-old lance corporal, had been arrested on suspicion of strangling<\/a> Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in Okinawan capital Naha early on Saturday. He is also suspected of stealing her wallet and backpack. Ballard denied the allegations, police said.<\/p>\n

If convicted, Ballard could face life in prison or the death penalty.<\/p>\n

His arrest triggered anger in Okinawa days after voters elected Genta Koja, a pro-US base governor backed by Takaichi\u2019s Liberal Democratic party, ending the eight-year-tenure of Denny Tamaki<\/a>, a critic of the US military<\/a> presence on the island.<\/p>\n

Koja\u2019s election had raised hopes that the US and Japan<\/a> might finally make progress on the planned transfer of a marine corps base from a densely populated city to a remote off-shore location.<\/p>\n

The relocation of Futenma air station<\/a>, where Ballard is stationed, has been held up for decades amid opposition from people<\/a> living near the alternative site and local politicians who want US military facilities moved off the island altogether.<\/p>\n

Koja said the arrest had dealt a \u201cmajor shock\u201d to the island and \u201craises fears among Okinawans who have already been forced to live next to US bases\u201d. He added: \u201cIt is absolutely unforgivable, and we are outraged.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the case proved that US attempts to improve discipline among its troops had failed. \u201cI\u2019m enraged by the loss of a precious life of an Okinawan resident,\u201d he told Lt Gen Benjamin Watson, commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, and the US consul general in Naha, Andrew Ou, after Ballard\u2019s arrest.<\/p>\n

Watson said he recognised that the incident had caused \u201csignificant concern and anxiety among the residents of Okinawa, our neighbours\u201d. He added: \u201cWe are committed to being good neighbours \u2026 and earning the trust of the Okinawan people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anti-US sentiment on Okinawa intensified after the 1995 rape of a 12-year-old girl by three American servicemen. A year later, Tokyo and Washington agreed to reduce the US military footprint by closing Futenma and relocating its functions to the quiet fishing village of Henoko<\/a> on the north-east coast.<\/p>\n

Anger erupted again over the rape of a teenage girl by a US service member in 2024 and the delayed disclosure of the crime.<\/p>\n

Crimes involving US troops on Okinawa have risen in recent years, from about 40 in 2020 to 101 last year, according to the prefectural police.<\/p>\n

Okinawa plays a central role in regional tensions. Japan\u2019s government insists US bases on the island act as a deterrent amid Chinese claims over disputed parts of the East and South China Seas and the emergence of a nuclear-armed North Korea.<\/p>\n

Under the Japan-US status of forces agreement, Ballard, who was arrested in a civilian district while he was off duty, will remain in the custody of the Japanese authorities.<\/p>\n

Security footage showed him entering the hotel with Yagi and later leaving alone.<\/p>\n

Yagi\u2019s family said they were \u201cdevastated\u201d by her death. Her brother said in a statement: \u201cOur parents are especially exhausted with grief after losing their daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Japan\u2019s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has led public outcry over crimes committed by US servicemen after a marine…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":793439,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[49,50,51,47,52,48],"class_list":["post-793438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=793438"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793438\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/793439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=793438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=793438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=793438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}