Okinawa Murder-Robbery Case "Deeply Regrettable": PM Takaichi
Tokyo, Oct. 4 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Sunday described as "deeply regrettable" the occurrence of a murder-robbery case in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, that led to the arrest of a U.S. Marine stationed at the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in the southernmost Japan prefecture. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Takaichi called the incident "extremely bruta...
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Sunday called the recent murder-robbery case in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, "deeply regrettable" and "extremely brutal and heinous." The incident involved a 20-year-old U.S. Marine, Devin Jacob Ballard, who was arrested for allegedly murdering a 39-year-old woman and stealing her belongings in a hotel room. Takaichi expressed her condolences to the deceased and her sympathies to the bereaved family, vowing to do everything possible to address the case.
Okinawa prefectural police arrested Ballard on Sunday, but he has denied the allegations. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned the U.S. Ambassador to Japan, George Glass, and lodged a strong protest against the incident, expressing strong indignation. Motegi called for full cooperation with the investigation, stricter discipline among U.S. military personnel, and thorough efforts to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.
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