A U.S. Marine lance corporal is in custody of local authorities after being arrested for allegedly robbing and murdering a Japanese woman in Okinawa, Japan, reawakening concerns over the large American troop presence on the island.
LCpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force headquartered at Camp Courtney in Okinawa, was arrested early Sunday morning, according to a local police statement to Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK.
Sometime between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. local time on Saturday, Ballard, 20, allegedly killed Anna Yagi, a 39-year-old Naha resident, according to the NHK police statement, at a hotel in the city. Additionally, the police report stated that he stole her wallet, among other belongings.
An investigation of the body found that Yagi died from suffocation. Hotel security footage shows a person with hair and tattoos that resemble those of Ballard entering a hotel room with a woman and leaving with items.
Ballard was arrested early Sunday morning, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in a social media post, calling the event “extremely brutal and heinous.”
Takaichi said it caused Japan’s government to lodge a “strong” protest against the U.S. while demanding cooperation with the investigation conducted by Okinawa Prefectural Police and measures implemented to ensure it doesn’t occur again.
The III MEF said it is cooperating with Japanese authorities in response to the Marine’s allegations.
“The Marine Corps takes these allegations very seriously and expects every Marine to adhere to the highest standards of behavior,” a social media post reads. “The Marine is in custody of local authorities while the investigation proceeds. There is no further information to release at this time.”
Shinjiro Koizumi, Japan’s defense minister, announced that the Marine involved is a lance corporal, while also asserting the necessity of preventive measures going forward.
“In any case, incidents and accidents involving U.S. military personnel cause significant anxiety to the local community and must never occur,” he said. “The Ministry of Defense intends to continue demanding thorough prevention of incidents and accidents from the U.S. side on various occasions going forward. In the future, we will coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to address this matter.
Japan has a large American military presence, with around 60,000 service members across the joint force. Okinawa specifically houses over 18,000 Marines, sailors and their families.
Following the murder and arrest, concerns rekindled among residents over the large number of American service members stationed on the island and their ties to criminal activity.
Recently, two American service members were charged with sexual assault in separate cases in 2024, causing the Japanese government to protest and the Marine Corps to begin issuing sobriety checks. The incidents reignited tensions from the high-profile 1995 case of three U.S. service members raping a local 12-year-old girl, which led to mass protests and a 1996 agreement between the two nations to close a key U.S. air station.
Cristina Stassis is a reporter covering stories surrounding the defense industry, national security, military/veteran affairs and more. She previously worked as an editorial fellow for Defense News in 2024 where she assisted the newsroom in breaking news across Sightline Media Group.
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