Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi lodged a protest with the United States on Sunday after a U.S. Marine was arrested on suspicion of robbing and murdering a Japanese woman in Okinawa.
Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, is suspected of killing 39-year-old Anna Yagi at a hotel in Naha, the capital of Okinawa prefecture, on Saturday and taking her wallet and backpack, Japanese police said. Ballard has denied the allegations.
Takaichi described the incident as "extremely brutal and vicious" and said the Japanese government had strongly protested to the U.S.
Tokyo is seeking maximum U.S. cooperation with the investigation, tighter discipline among American military personnel and measures aimed at preventing similar incidents.
The U.S. embassy and Marine Corps expressed condolences and said they were cooperating with Japanese authorities.
The Marine Corps confirmed that Ballard, who is assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force and based at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, remained in Japanese custody. It said it takes the allegations seriously and expects Marines to maintain high standards of conduct.
Okinawa hosts most of the roughly 18,000 U.S. Marines stationed in Japan. The American military presence has repeatedly generated opposition among some residents over aircraft noise, crashes and the conduct of personnel.
The arrest could add pressure to longstanding tensions surrounding U.S. bases in Okinawa. A 1995 rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl by three U.S. servicemen triggered widespread protests.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/japan-pm-protests-u-marine-083410262.html
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