Japan PM protests to US after Marine arrested in Okinawa
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi protested to the United States on Sunday after a US Marine faced arrest over an alleged murder in Okinawa. Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, allegedly killed Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in Naha on Saturday. Police said he also took her wallet and backpack, while Ballard denied the allegations. Read […]
A US Marine has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a Japanese woman in Okinawa. Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, is accused of killing Anna Yagi, 39, in a hotel in Naha, the capital of the southernmost prefecture, on Saturday. According to police, Ballard also took Yagi's wallet and backpack.
The Japanese government has protested to the US over the incident, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressing regret and seeking maximum cooperation with the investigation. Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi described the incident as "unacceptable" and "deeply outrageous".
The US embassy and the Marine Corps have expressed condolences and said they are cooperating with Japanese authorities. Ballard denied the allegations, police said.
Brief written by urgent.news from Tokyo Reporter, Free Malaysia Today — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 2 other outlets
- U.S. Marine accused of strangling woman in Okinawa love hotel tokyoreporter.com
- Japan PM protests to U.S. after Marine arrested over Okinawa murder investing.com
