US marine arrested in Okinawa on suspicion of killing Japanese woman

Okinawa police arrested a US marine on suspicion of killing a 39-year-old Japanese woman at a hotel in Naha and stealing her wallet and backpack. The victim was identified as Anna Yagi, while the suspect was named as 20-year-old Lance Cpl Devin Jacob Ballard.

Police said Ballard denied the allegations. Japanese media, citing investigators, reported that CCTV showed a foreign man entering a room with a woman and later leaving with her belongings.

Police found a man matching the description, asked him to accompany officers voluntarily to a local station and then arrested him.

Japanese government response

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Tokyo had lodged a protest with US authorities and described the crime as “exceptionally brutal and vicious”. The government urged the US to cooperate fully with the investigation, strengthen discipline among military personnel and take steps to prevent similar crimes.

US Ambassador George Glass said he had spoken with Japan’s foreign ministry and Okinawa’s governor, offered condolences to Yagi’s family and pledged cooperation with the investigation. Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said incidents involving US military personnel cause serious anxiety in local communities.

Yagi’s brother said through police that the family was deeply saddened and that her parents were particularly devastated by the loss of their daughter.

Previous cases and figures

Crimes involving US personnel have long prompted protests on Okinawa. The island hosts about 70% of US military facilities in Japan, while roughly 54,000 US service members are stationed in the country.

In June 2025, a Japanese court sentenced former US marine Jamel Clayton to seven years in prison after convicting him of choking and sexually assaulting a woman. In 2017, former marine and base worker Kenneth Shinzato received a life sentence for raping and murdering a local woman.

The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that about 6,000 US military personnel had been arrested since Okinawa returned to Japanese control in 1972. The number of arrests reached 80 in 2024, the highest level in 20 years.