The key facts
- The charge was filed against 20-year-old Marine Devin Jacob Ballard, who served at Futenma base
- According to the indictment, he strangled 39-year-old Anna Yagi with a telephone cord and stole her backpack and wallet on October 3
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced a 'stern' protest to the US; protests involving about 100 people took place in Naha and Tokyo
The charge and its contents
Japanese prosecutors charged US Marine Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, on suspicion of murder and robbery of 39-year-old Anna Yagi. According to Japanese media citing the indictment, he strangled the woman with a telephone cord and then stole her backpack and wallet on October 3 at a hotel in Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture. Ballard served at the Futenma Marine Corps Air Station. According to BBC News, the charge was filed several weeks after his arrest.
The parties' positions and evidence
According to media reports, Ballard denied the charges, but Asahi Shimbun and Kyodo News, citing investigators, reported that he had made a number of statements indicating his involvement. According to the investigation, surveillance camera footage shows a man, believed to be the suspect, entering the hotel with the woman and leaving alone with her belongings.
Reaction of the authorities and the public
Yagi's death caused outrage in Japan. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the crime 'cruel and monstrous' and said the government had lodged a 'stern' protest with the United States, demanding 'strict disciplinary action against US service members and comprehensive measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.' Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki said the prefecture had repeatedly demanded that the US take measures to prevent such cases, and viewed the alleged crime as a sign of a lack of discipline. The Marine Corps had previously stated that it was 'actively cooperating with Japanese authorities' and expressed condolences to the victim's family. Earlier this month, about 100 people protested in both Naha and Tokyo.
Context: a series of cases involving US military personnel
This is not the only recent case: according to the BBC, in 2024 four cases of sexual assault involving US service members were recorded in Okinawa, including the conviction of Air Force airman Brennon Washington — five years for the rape and abduction of a minor. In 2025, Marine Jamail Clayton was sentenced to seven years in prison for the sexual assault of a woman. The largest protests over the actions of US military personnel took place in 1995, when tens of thousands of people took to the streets after the rape of a 12-year-old girl. Okinawa hosts the largest share of the roughly 55,000 US service members stationed in Japan. Ballard's ultimate judicial fate remains unknown: the filing of charges is only an intermediate step, and whether Japan will seek his extradition for trial is not addressed in available publications.
Image source, Reuters Devin Jacob Ballard was stationed at Futenma Air Station
