US Marine arrested over woman’s death in Naha as Okinawa protests
In short
A US Marine Corps Lance Corporal assigned to the Futenma base in Okinawa has been arrested on suspicion of robbery-murder after a woman was found dead at a hotel in Naha on October 3, Nippon TV News reported. About 100 people rallied near the Okinawa prefectural office on October 4, and Governor Kosho called the incident “absolutely unforgivable”, with the prefecture planning to protest to senior US military officials on October 5.
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A US Marine Corps Lance Corporal assigned to the US military’s Futenma base in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, has been arrested on suspicion of robbery-murder after a woman was found dead at a hotel in Naha, according to Nippon TV News. The outlet named the Marine as Devin Jacob Ballard and the woman as Anna Yagi, and said her body was found on October 3. Jiji Press reported that the Marine was arrested over the killing of a woman in Naha. [ 1 , 4 ]
Protests followed. Jiji Press reported that about 100 people gathered near the Okinawa prefectural office on October 4 for a rally called through social media, holding placards, speaking into a microphone and observing a moment of silence. Nippon TV News reported that protest gatherings were held in various places in the prefecture on the night of the 4th. Yomiuri Shimbun reported on a protest rally in front of the prefectural office and quoted the line “how many times must we have to feel this”. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Okinawa Governor Kosho said the incident, three days after he took office, was “absolutely unforgivable”, Yomiuri Shimbun reported. Nippon TV News reported that he would protest to the US military and seek discipline among personnel and prevention of any recurrence, quoting him as saying the case “gives a great shock to residents who are forced to live alongside the bases, is absolutely unforgivable and makes me feel extremely angry”. The prefecture planned to summon senior US military officials to the prefectural office on the afternoon of October 5 to protest, and the governor planned to go to Tokyo to protest to the relevant ministries and agencies, according to Nippon TV News. [ 3 , 4 ]
At the rally, a woman in her 40s who came from Nago with her 4-year-old son told Jiji Press she found it contradictory that soldiers at US bases in Okinawa, which she said are there to protect Japan, kill civilians, while a woman in her 40s from Ginowan said she did not want any more people to become victims. Jiji Press also reported that incidents involving the US military have not stopped, with 101 arrests last year and a rising trend. [ 1 ]
Why it matters
The case widened beyond a local crime: Okinawa’s governor publicly condemned it and the prefecture planned to protest directly to senior US military officials, with the governor also due to take the issue to ministries and agencies in Tokyo. Jiji Press’s report of a rising number of arrests in US military-related cases in Okinawa places the incident within the long-running friction over bases in the prefecture.
Key facts
- A woman was found dead at a hotel in Naha on October 3; Nippon TV News identified her as Anna Yagi. [ 4 ]
- A US Marine Corps Lance Corporal assigned to the Futenma base in Ginowan, named by Nippon TV News as Devin Jacob Ballard, was arrested on suspicion of robbery-murder. [ 1 , 4 ]
- About 100 people joined a protest rally near the Okinawa prefectural office on October 4, called through social media, holding placards and observing a moment of silence. [ 1 ]
- Nippon TV News reported that protest gatherings were held in various places in the prefecture on the night of October 4. [ 4 ]
- Okinawa Governor Kosho said the incident was “absolutely unforgivable” and that he felt strong anger. [ 3 , 4 ]
- The prefecture planned to summon senior US military officials to the prefectural office on the afternoon of October 5, and the governor planned to protest to relevant ministries and agencies in Tokyo. [ 4 ]
- Jiji Press reported that US military-related incidents in Okinawa have not stopped, with 101 arrests last year and a rising trend. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The names of the arrested Marine and of the woman killed are reported only by Nippon TV News. Only one outlet in these documents gives either name; the other outlets do not identify the people involved.
- Jiji Press’s figure of 101 arrests in US military-related cases last year appears in one document only. Single-source figure; no other document in this set reports it.
- It is not clear whether the roughly 100 people counted by Jiji Press attended one rally or were spread across several gatherings that night. Jiji Press reports about 100 participants near the prefectural office, while Nippon TV News refers to gatherings in various places without giving numbers.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The body of a woman, identified by Nippon TV News as Anna Yagi, is found at a hotel in Naha. [ 4 ]
- About 100 people hold a protest rally near the Okinawa prefectural office, called through social media, with placards and a moment of silence; protest gatherings are also reported in various places in the prefecture that night. [ 1 , 4 ]
- Yomiuri Shimbun reports a protest rally in front of the prefectural office and residents’ anger in a headline quoting “how many times must we have to feel this”. [ 2 ]
- Yomiuri Shimbun reports that Governor Kosho, three days after taking office, said the incident is “absolutely unforgivable”. [ 3 ]
- Nippon TV News reports that the prefecture will summon senior US military officials to the prefectural office on the afternoon of October 5, and that the governor will soon go to Tokyo to protest to relevant ministries and agencies. [ 4 ]