Japan Protests US Over Alleged Okinawa Murder Involving Marine
Davin Ballard, 20, was arrested Sunday in connection with the case. Okinawa prefectural police suspect him of killing 39-year-old Anna Yagi and taking her wallet and backpack at a hotel in Naha early Saturday. Ballard has denied the allegations.
Police said Ballard was seen entering the hotel with Yagi, who was later discovered dead on Saturday morning.
Japan’s Vice Foreign Minister Takehiro Funakoshi delivered the protest to US Ambassador George Glass during a meeting on Sunday.
Glass said the US would cooperate fully with the investigation and take every possible step to prevent a similar incident from happening again, according to Japan’s Foreign Ministry.
The US Embassy in Japan said on X that a US service member was being held following the death of a Japanese citizen in Okinawa. It said authorities were working to "determine the facts of the case," while cooperating with Japanese and local officials.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the incident as "extremely regrettable" and called for full US cooperation with the investigation. She also demanded stronger discipline among US military personnel and measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Okinawa hosts most of the US military facilities located in Japan and has long been a major base for the American military presence in the country.
Around 50,000 US troops are stationed in Japan under a bilateral security framework that dates back to the period following World War II.
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