OKINAWA (TR) – Okinawa Prefectural Police have arrested a 20-year-old U.S. Marine after a 39-year-old woman was found strangled to death inside a hotel room in Naha City over the weekend, reports Nippon News Network (Oct. 5).
Devin Jacob Ballard, a Private First Class stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, is accused of killing Anna Yagi and making off with her wallet.
Upon his arrest on suspicion of robbery and murder, Ballard denied the allegations, reportedly telling investigators, “I don’t know.”
The discovery was made early on October 3. Hotel staff entered the room after the occupants failed to emerge past checkout time, only to find Yagi collapsed lifelessly.
Police confirmed the cause of death as asphyxiation due to strangulation. Her wallet and other belongings were missing from the scene.
Outrage in Okinawa
An acquaintance of the victim reported seeing Yagi with a foreign man the night before she died. “I was paying at the entrance of a club when she called my name. I turned around and saw Anna. I can confirm she was walking with a single foreign male,” the witness said.
Security camera footage later captured a foreign-looking man exiting the hotel alone, clutching an object in his hands. Following a police manhunt, Ballard was located and apprehended that same night in a nightlife district in Okinawa City, approximately 20 kilometers from the crime scene. The nature of his relationship with the victim remains under investigation.
The crime has ignited fierce outrage in Okinawa, a prefecture repeatedly plagued by violent incidents involving U.S. military personnel.
Okinawa Governor Genta Koja summoned top U.S. military officials to the prefectural office to deliver a stern protest. “This causes a tremendous shock and brings renewed anxiety to the residents of this prefecture, who are forced to live side-by-side with the bases,” Koja said. “It is absolutely unforgivable, and I feel extreme indignation.”
“Extremely regrettable”
The fallout has reached the highest levels of the national government. Prime Minister Takaichi condemned the incident as “extremely regrettable,” stating that the government has lodged a strong protest with the U.S. and demanded strict disciplinary action and preventative measures.
Defense Minister Koizumi also summoned the commander of U.S. Forces Japan to formally protest, emphasizing that Japan takes the matter “extremely seriously.”
Police are continuing to investigate the exact circumstances leading up to the fatal encounter.
