Japan PM leads outcry after US Marine arrested over alleged killing of woman on Okinawa

US Marine lance corporal Devin Jacob Ballard is escorted out of a police station after the alleged killing of a woman in Okinawa, Japan. Photograph: KYODO/ReutersView image in fullscreenUS Marine lance corporal Devin Jacob Ballard is escorted out of a police station after the alleged killing of a woman in Okinawa, Japan. Photograph: KYODO/ReutersJapan PM leads outcry after US Marine arrested over alleged killing of woman on OkinawaCrimes involving US troops on Okinawa have been a constant source of tension between Tokyo and Washington

Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has led public outcry over crimes committed by US servicemen after a marine suspected of killing a woman on Okinawa was arrested on Saturday.

In a speech in parliament, Takaichi described the alleged crime as “heinous” and urged US military authorities to enforce discipline among American servicemen stationed on Okinawa, an island 1,000 miles south of Tokyo.

Crimes and accidents involving US troops on Okinawa have been a constant source of tension between Tokyo and Washington and the target of protests among local people. The island hosts most of the 50,000 US troops in Japan and 70% of the country’s military facilities there.

Read morePolice said Devin Ballard, a 20-year-old lance corporal, had been arrested on suspicion of strangling Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in Okinawan capital Naha early on Saturday. He is also suspected of stealing her wallet and backpack. Ballard denied the allegations, police said.

If convicted, Ballard could face life in prison or the death penalty.

His arrest triggered anger in Okinawa days after voters elected Genta Koja, a pro-US base governor backed by Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic party, ending the eight-year-tenure of Denny Tamaki, a critic of the US military presence on the island.

Koja’s election had raised hopes that the US and Japan might finally make progress on the planned transfer of a marine corps base from a densely populated city to a remote off-shore location.

The relocation of Futenma air station, where Ballard is stationed, has been held up for decades amid opposition from people living near the alternative site and local politicians who want US military facilities moved off the island altogether.

Koja said the arrest had dealt a “major shock” to the island and “raises fears among Okinawans who have already been forced to live next to US bases”. He added: “It is absolutely unforgivable, and we are outraged.”

He said the case proved that US attempts to improve discipline among its troops had failed. “I’m enraged by the loss of a precious life of an Okinawan resident,” he told Lt Gen Benjamin Watson, commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, and the US consul general in Naha, Andrew Ou, after Ballard’s arrest.

Watson said he recognised that the incident had caused “significant concern and anxiety among the residents of Okinawa, our neighbours”. He added: “We are committed to being good neighbours … and earning the trust of the Okinawan people.”

Anti-US sentiment on Okinawa intensified after the 1995 rape of a 12-year-old girl by three American servicemen. A year later, Tokyo and Washington agreed to reduce the US military footprint by closing Futenma and relocating its functions to the quiet fishing village of Henoko on the north-east coast.

Anger erupted again over the rape of a teenage girl by a US service member in 2024 and the delayed disclosure of the crime.

Crimes involving US troops on Okinawa have risen in recent years, from about 40 in 2020 to 101 last year, according to the prefectural police.

Okinawa plays a central role in regional tensions. Japan’s government insists US bases on the island act as a deterrent amid Chinese claims over disputed parts of the East and South China Seas and the emergence of a nuclear-armed North Korea.

Under the Japan-US status of forces agreement, Ballard, who was arrested in a civilian district while he was off duty, will remain in the custody of the Japanese authorities.

Security footage showed him entering the hotel with Yagi and later leaving alone.

Yagi’s family said they were “devastated” by her death. Her brother said in a statement: “Our parents are especially exhausted with grief after losing their daughter.”