US Marine indicted for murder and robbery of woman in Japan
Prosecutors have indicted Devin Jacob Ballard for a killing that has caused outrage in Japan, local media reports.
**US Marine indicted over murder and robbery of woman in Japan**
A US Marine has been indicted on suspicion of murdering and robbing a woman in Japan earlier this month, in a case that has sparked protests, according to Japanese media reports.
Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, who was based at US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, was arrested on suspicion of killing Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in Naha, the capital of Okinawa.
Prosecutors have now indicted him for allegedly strangling Yagi with a telephone cord and then taking her backpack and wallet on 3 October, media reports said, citing the indictment document.
Ballard was reported to have denied the accusations, but Asahi Shimbun and Kyodo News cited investigators as saying he has made some statements indicating involvement.
Security footage is said to show a man believed to be the suspect entering the hotel with the woman and later leaving alone with her belongings.
Yagi’s death has provoked anger in Japan, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi calling the crime “brutal and heinous”.
Earlier this month, the Marine Corps said it was “actively cooperating with Japanese authorities, in response to allegations of serious criminal actions by a Marine” and offered condolences to the victim’s family.
The case is the latest involving a US serviceman in Okinawa, which hosts the highest concentration of around 55,000 US soldiers stationed in Japan.
Earlier criminal cases have fueled anger and protests, the biggest of which came in 1995, when tens of thousands marched after the abduction, beating and rape of a 12-year-old girl.
In 2024 alone, there were four sexual assault cases involving US troops in Okinawa, including that of air force member Brennon Washington, who received five years for the rape and kidnapping of an underage girl.
In 2025, US marine Lance Cpl Jamel Clayton was sentenced to seven years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman.
Okinawa Governor Genta Koja said the prefecture has repeatedly urged the US to take action to stop such incidents, and said he views the alleged crime as evidence of a lack of discipline.
The prime minister said her government had lodged a “strong” protest with the US and called for “strict disciplinary action against US military personnel and thorough measures to prevent a recurrence of such incidents”.
People in Japan have been expressing anger, with about 100 people protesting in both Naha and Tokyo earlier this month. Others took to social media to voice outrage and demand justice, with one user saying: “Enough is enough.”