US Marine arrested on suspicion of murder after 'brutal and heinous' death in Japan, officials say
A U.S. service member was arrested on suspicion of murder and robbery after a Japanese woman's body was discovered in a hotel in Okinawa, local officials said, describing the alleged killing as a "heinous" incident that prompted the Japanese government to lodge a protest with the United States.
Shinjiro Koizumi, the Japanese minister of defense, said a U.S. Marine lance corporal was arrested on Sunday after the woman's body was found early on Saturday in Naha, the capital city of the Okinawa prefecture.
NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, identified the suspect as Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, who was stationed at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, a base a few miles outside Naha. The broadcaster identified the alleged victim as Yagi Anna, 39, saying she was pronounced dead at the scene after being found at about 4:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the Okinawa Prefectural Police were investigating the incident as a murder.
"The occurrence of such an extremely brutal and heinous incident is a matter of profound regret, and as the Government of Japan, we have lodged a strong protest with the U.S. side," she said on social media.
NHK reported that security camera footage showed a person who "appeared to be foreign entering the hotel with a woman and later leaving with her belongings." Some of Yagi's belongings were allegedly found abandoned near the hotel, NKH reported, citing local police.
The hair and tattoos of the person in the security camera footage reportedly resemble Ballard's, according to NHK, which also reported that he is suspected of killing Anna between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. local time Saturday and stealing her wallet and other unspecified belongings. Ballard was located late Saturday night in an entertainment district in Okinawa City, about 18 kilometers away from the hotel, and was arrested, according to NHK.
Anna's cause of death was suffocation caused by pressure on her neck, NHK reports police saying. Ballard has denied killing Anna, police said, according to NHK.
U.S. officials did not immediately confirm the identity of the service member who was arrested, nor did they say whether the person had been officially charged in connection with the death.
"We are actively cooperating with Japanese authorities, in response to allegations of serious criminal actions by a Marine assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force," the force said in a statement on social media. "We extend our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends."
Tens of thousands of U.S. troops are stationed across Japan, including in the country's southernmost prefecture, Okinawa, which is home to several U.S. bases.
The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo said it was aware of the incident and was extending "our deepest condolences to the bereaved family of the deceased."
"At present, an investigation is underway to clarify the facts, and the United States Government continues to cooperate closely with the Government of Japan and local authorities," the embassy said in a statement.
George Glass, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, said he had spoken on Sunday morning with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Okinawa's governor, adding that his office was providing full cooperation with an investigation into the death.
The office of Toshimitsu Motegi, Japan's foreign minister, said it had summoned Glass on Sunday to issue a protest.
Motegi "strongly urged the U.S. side to strengthen discipline and to prevent the recurrence of incidents so that such a tragedy will never be repeated," his office said in a press release.
Okinawa Gov. Genta Koja called on Sunday for the U.S. military in Japan to "rigorously enforce discipline among its service members."
"As Okinawa Prefecture, we will deal with this strictly, including by lodging strong protests with the U.S. military and both the Japanese and U.S. governments, to ensure that such tragic incidents never happen again," he said in a statement.
ABC News' Rashid Haddou and Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.
