The arrest of a U.S. Marine in the killing of a woman on Okinawa has set off a diplomatic protest from Tokyo and fresh anger on the island that hosts most of America’s military presence in Japan, CBS News and AFP reported Monday.
The case
Japanese police arrested Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, who is stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, on suspicion of killing 39-year-old Anna Yagi at a hotel in Naha, Okinawa’s capital, early Saturday and stealing her wallet and backpack. According to Japanese media, he has denied the allegations.
Public broadcaster NHK, citing investigative sources, reported that security camera footage near the scene showed a foreign man entering a room with a woman and later leaving with her belongings. A patrolling officer later spotted a man matching the description in an entertainment district of Okinawa City, about 15 miles northeast of Naha, and he was arrested after going to a police station, NHK reported. Kyodo News said his shaved head and arm tattoos matched the man in the footage.
Prosecutors in Naha began reviewing the case Monday and have weeks to decide whether to file formal charges. Because Ballard was off duty and arrested off base, Japanese authorities are handling the case under the two countries’ status of forces agreement. If convicted, he could face life in prison or the death penalty.
Tokyo and Okinawa respond
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told lawmakers the government had lodged a strong protest with the United States, calling the killing a “heinous crime” and urging full U.S. cooperation and strict discipline among American personnel. Japan’s foreign and defense ministers summoned senior U.S. officials, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said.
Okinawa Gov. Genta Koja, elected only weeks ago, delivered a protest letter to Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson, commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, said he was “infuriated,” and plans to protest in Tokyo. U.S. Ambassador George Glass said on social media he would tell commanders this week to hold service members to “the very highest levels of discipline and integrity.”
About 100 people rallied in Naha on Sunday, Japanese media reported, with more protests planned, including one outside the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.
A long-running grievance
Okinawa hosts about 70% of U.S. military facilities in Japan and most of the roughly 50,000 American troops stationed there. Prefectural police counted 101 U.S. military-related criminal cases last year, up from about 40 in 2020, according to the CBS/AFP report.
Photo: U.S. Marine Corps / Cpl. Jeremiah Barksdale (public domain, via Wikimedia Commons). File photo of aircraft on the runway at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Oct. 24, 2025.