A US Marine has been indicted on suspicion of murdering and robbing a woman in Japan earlier this month, in a case that has triggered protests across the country.
Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, stationed at US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, was arrested on suspicion of killing Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in Naha, the capital of Okinawa.
Prosecutors have indicted him for allegedly strangling Yagi with a telephone cord and stealing her backpack and wallet on 3 October, according to reports citing the indictment document.
Ballard has denied the allegations, though investigators have indicated he made statements suggesting some involvement, according to reports.
Security footage allegedly shows a man believed to be the suspect entering the hotel with the woman and later leaving alone with her belongings.
Yagi's death has caused widespread outrage in Japan. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the crime as "brutal and heinous" and said her government had registered a "strong" protest with the United States, calling for "strict disciplinary action against US military personnel and thorough measures to prevent a recurrence of such incidents."
Okinawa Governor Genta Koja said the prefecture has repeatedly demanded that the US take action to prevent such incidents. He described the alleged crime as a sign of a lack of discipline.
Earlier this month, the Marine Corps said it was "actively cooperating with Japanese authorities, in response to allegations of serious criminal actions by a Marine" and extended condolences to the victim's family.
The case is the latest in a long series of incidents involving US servicemembers in Okinawa, which hosts the highest concentration of the approximately 55,000 US troops stationed in Japan.
Previous criminal cases have repeatedly sparked anger and protests. The largest demonstration took place in 1995, when tens of thousands took to the streets following the abduction, beating, and rape of a 12-year-old girl.
In 2024 alone, four sexual assault cases involving US troops were recorded in Okinawa, including that of an air force member who received a five-year sentence for the rape and kidnapping of an underage girl. In 2025, a US Marine lance corporal was sentenced to seven years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman.
Around 100 people protested in both Naha and Tokyo earlier this month. Others expressed outrage on social media, with one user writing: "Enough is enough."
