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World

US Marine indicted over Okinawa robbery-murder of Anna Yagi

Japanese prosecutors have indicted US Marine Devin Ballard, 20, on suspicion of robbing and murdering Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in Naha on 3 October, in the case that prompted a month-long curfew for US troops on Okinawa.

By Sarah Whitfield · · 2 min read

Japanese prosecutors have indicted a 20-year-old US Marine on suspicion of robbing and murdering a woman in Okinawa Prefecture earlier this month, Kyodo News reported.

Devin Ballard, who is stationed at Futenma Air Base, is charged with killing the woman by wrapping a phone cord around her neck at a hotel in Naha, the capital of the southern island prefecture, and taking her backpack containing a wallet on 3 October, according to the indictment. The cause of death was suffocation, Kyodo reported. The victim was Anna Yagi, 39.

Local police found Ballard walking alone in the city of Okinawa in the late hours of 3 October and arrested him the following day on suspicion of robbery and murder. Ballard had previously denied the allegations but now implies partial involvement in the case, according to investigative sources cited by Kyodo.

Hiroya Ishii, deputy chief of the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office, said in a statement: “In the trial, we want to do our best to make accurate arguments and prove the case based on the law and evidence.”

The case has renewed anti-base sentiment among locals, and Okinawa governor Genta Koja has stepped up calls on the central government to take preventive measures. The Japanese government has lodged a strong protest with the United States, and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the case a “heinous crime.”

Following Ballard’s arrest, the US military in Okinawa on 9 October imposed a 30-day curfew from midnight to 5 a.m. Japan-US talks on preventive steps have also been launched to review the effectiveness of the US military’s “liberty policy” governing off-base conduct in Japan and joint patrols by US forces and Japanese police, according to Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.

Sources

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