Japan has summoned the United States ambassador following the arrest of a US Marine suspected of robbing and murdering a 39-year-old Japanese woman on the island of Okinawa.
US Ambassador to Japan George Glass said on Sunday that the United States would provide “full cooperation” with the Japanese investigation.
The Marine, identified as 20-year-old Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, is accused of killing Anna Yagi in Naha, Okinawa. Ballard has denied the allegations.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed deep concern over the incident and said the government had lodged a strong protest with the United States while demanding maximum cooperation with the investigation.
Japan’s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi also said incidents involving US military personnel cause serious anxiety among local residents and should not occur.
Local media reported that CCTV footage showed a non-Japanese man entering a hotel room with Yagi. The footage allegedly showed the man later leaving alone while carrying items believed to belong to the woman.
The incident has renewed concerns in Okinawa, which hosts a large proportion of the US military presence in Japan. About 54,000 US military personnel are stationed in Japan, including around 18,000 Marines, with the majority based in Okinawa.
Okinawa was under US administrative control after World War II before being returned to Japan in 1972. According to Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, about 6,000 US military personnel have been arrested in Japan since the handover.
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