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Okinawa Gov. Genta Koja delivered a protest letter to Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force on October 5 calling for a review of the agreement governing US military personnel in Japan according to Stars and Stripes. The governor described US efforts regarding discipline and human rights education as completely ineffective following the latest incident. Koja and other officials handed the letter at the prefectural office in Naha and highlighted two previous killings involving US personnel on the island while urging stricter measures to prevent recurrence.
According to Okinawa Prefectural Police 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma is suspected of killing 39-year-old Anna Yagi early on October 3 in a hotel room in the city’s Wakasa district. Police said Yagi died from asphyxiation after Ballard allegedly pressed on her neck and that security footage captured the suspect entering with the victim before departing alone with her possessions. Ballard denied the allegations when arrested the next day while walking in an entertainment district a police spokesman told multiple news outlets including CNN and The Guardian.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that the government strongly protested to the US side and called for maximum cooperation with the investigation along with stricter discipline to prevent recurrence according to a statement carried by Reuters. The prime minister described the incident as extremely brutal and vicious. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi expressed outrage at the killing and the foreign minister summoned the US ambassador over the matter.
A longtime Okinawa resident told BBC News that her first reaction to news of the arrest was “Not again.” Ai Sato a 52-year-old who has lived on the island for years expressed deep disappointment with the recurring government assurances that they take such matters seriously after decades of similar cases. The arrest has prompted fresh protests against the substantial US military footprint on the island according to local accounts shared with the broadcaster.
Okinawa accounts for just 0.6 percent of Japan’s land but hosts more than 70 percent of US military facilities in the country a longstanding imbalance documented in prefectural statistics and reports from The Diplomat. Approximately 30,000 American service members are stationed there out of around 54,000 total in Japan according to defense manpower data. High-profile past crimes include the 1995 gang rape of a 12-year-old girl that prompted massive demonstrations and the 2017 conviction of a former marine for the rape and murder of a local woman according to court records cited by The New York Times.
The US Marine Corps said in a statement that it takes the allegations very seriously expects the highest standards of behavior and is cooperating with Japanese authorities since the incident occurred outside official duties. Ballard remains in Japanese custody as a result of that determination under the status of forces agreement. The governor’s protest letter additionally urged improved measures to prevent future incidents and address community concerns that have persisted for years.
