A U.S. Marine stationed in Japan has been arrested on suspicion of robbing and killing a 39-year-old woman at a hotel in Okinawa, leading Japanese officials to file a formal protest with the United States.
Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, is accused of killing Anna Yagi at a hotel in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture’s capital, early Saturday before taking her wallet and backpack, Japanese police said.
Police said Ballard has denied the allegations.
An aerial view shows landfill work underway to prepare the site for the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in the Henoko district of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, on January 15, 2019. (Richard Atrero de Guzman/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Ballard is assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force and stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa, according to the Marine Corps.
Surveillance video showed Yagi entering the hotel with Ballard, who later left alone, Stars and Stripes reported, citing Okinawa police. A hotel employee discovered Yagi unresponsive after she failed to check out.
Authorities later found Ballard in Okinawa City and arrested him, according to the outlet.
News Outlet has contacted the Okinawa Prefectural Police for further information.
A U.S. Marines patch is displayed on a uniform at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on September 26, 2025, in San Diego, California. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
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The Marine Corps said it was cooperating with Japanese authorities and confirmed that Ballard remained in Japanese custody.
“The Marine Corps takes these allegations very seriously and expects every Marine to adhere to the highest standards of behavior,” the service said in a statement obtained by Reuters.
The arrest drew swift condemnation from senior Japanese officials. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed condolences to Yagi’s family and said her government had delivered a “strong protest” to the United States.
“The occurrence of such an extremely brutal and heinous incident is a matter of profound regret,” Takaichi said in an English translation of a statement originally issued in Japanese.
This picture taken on August 23, 2022 shows a person looking toward the US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from Kakazutakadai Park in Ginowan, Okinawa prefecture. (PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images)
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also summoned U.S. Ambassador George Glass. He called for Washington’s full cooperation with the investigation, tighter discipline among American military personnel and steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Glass expressed regret over the loss of life and pledged that the United States would cooperate with Japanese authorities.
The case has emerged against the backdrop of decades of tension over the substantial U.S. military presence in Okinawa.
Most of the approximately 18,000 Marines stationed in Japan are based in Okinawa. Crimes involving U.S. personnel, aircraft accidents and noise complaints have periodically intensified local opposition to the American military presence.
Okinawa remains strategically significant to the U.S.-Japan alliance because of its position in the western Pacific near Taiwan, where concerns have grown over China’s military activity in the region.
