US Marine arrested in Japan on suspicion of murder

A US Marine, Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a 39-year-old Japanese woman, Anna Yagi, in a hotel in Naha, Okinawa, Japan. According to police, Ballard is suspected of robbing and murdering Yagi, taking her wallet and backpack.

The incident prompted an official protest from the Japanese government, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi registering a protest with the US. Takaichi described the incident as "extremely brutal and vicious" and called for stricter discipline among US military personnel and thorough measures to prevent a recurrence.

The US Marine Corps and the US embassy expressed condolences over the incident and said they were cooperating with the Japanese authorities. Ballard denied the allegations, police said. The victim's brother was quoted by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper as saying that his family was deeply saddened by the loss of their daughter.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, Punch, DW News, DW English (Top Stories), Free Malaysia Today — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.