Japanese prosecutors indicted a U.S. Marine on Oct. 25 over the death of a Naha woman, in a case that has prompted Japan to press Washington for cooperation and preventive measures.
A copy of the indictment supplied by the Naha Public Prosecutors Office to Stars and Stripes accuses Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, of using a telephone handset cord to strangle Naha resident Anna Yagi, 39, in a hotel on Oct. 3. It says he then took her backpack, which held a wallet and other belongings. The indictment lists one charge of robbery causing death; Okinawan broadcaster QAB described the offense as robbery-murder, referring to the same charge. The allegations have not been proven in court.
Stars and Stripes reported, citing Okinawa Prefectural Police, that Ballard denied the allegations when he was arrested on Oct. 4.
Japan's government said it lodged a strong protest after the arrest and urged the United States to cooperate with the investigation, discipline service members and take steps to prevent similar incidents. In an Oct. 5 policy speech, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the incident “extremely regrettable,” according to the government's provisional English translation.
1st Lt. Tyler Thomas, a spokesperson for III Marine Expeditionary Force, said in an email statement reported by Stars and Stripes: “We recognize the seriousness of the charges.” Thomas said the service would continue working with Japanese authorities as the legal process proceeds.
The Associated Press has linked large demonstrations on Okinawa in 1995 to the rape of a 12-year-old girl by three U.S. service members. Japan's Ministry of Defense said U.S. forces announced a 30-day overnight curfew for troops in Okinawa beginning Oct. 9, from midnight to 5 a.m.
