Japanese authorities say the 20-year-old Marine is suspected of killing and robbing a woman at a hotel in Naha.
NAHA, JAPAN — Japanese police have arrested a 20-year-old U.S. Marine on suspicion of killing and robbing a 39-year-old woman at a hotel in Okinawa, an allegation that prompted Japan’s government to lodge a strong protest with the United States.
Okinawa Prefectural Police identified the Marine as Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, who is stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. Police allege Ballard killed Anna Yagi, a Naha resident, at a hotel in the prefectural capital early Saturday and took her wallet and other belongings. Ballard has denied the allegations, according to police. He remained in Japanese custody Sunday as authorities continued investigating.
Police allege the killing occurred between about 2:10 a.m. and 4:17 a.m. Saturday at the Naminoue Crystal Hotel in Naha’s Wakasa district. Security camera footage showed Yagi entering the hotel with Ballard and showed Ballard leaving alone later, police told Stars and Stripes. A hotel employee found Yagi unconscious after receiving no response when the pair failed to check out and contacted emergency authorities.
Investigators later located Ballard in an entertainment district in Okinawa City, questioned him and arrested him, according to police accounts reported by several news organizations. Japanese media reported that investigators were examining security camera footage and other evidence connected with Yagi’s death and the disappearance of her belongings. Authorities have not announced a final finding on Ballard’s guilt, and the case remains under investigation.
The arrest quickly became an issue between the Japanese and U.S. governments. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned U.S. Ambassador George Glass on Sunday and formally protested the case. Japan’s Foreign Ministry said Motegi urged the United States to cooperate fully with the investigation, strengthen discipline among U.S. personnel and take measures intended to prevent similar incidents.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also said Japan had lodged a strong protest with U.S. authorities. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said incidents involving U.S. military personnel cause serious anxiety in local communities. The Japanese government’s response reflects the sensitivity of criminal allegations involving American service members in Okinawa, where the U.S. military maintains a large presence under the countries’ security alliance.
The U.S. military said it was cooperating with Japanese authorities. The Marine Corps said Ballard is assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa and that allegations of serious criminal conduct are taken seriously. The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo also expressed condolences to Yagi’s family and said American officials were communicating and cooperating with Japan’s national and local authorities. Glass said he had spoken with Japanese officials and Okinawa’s governor and pledged cooperation with the investigation.
The case has renewed longstanding concerns on Okinawa over crimes and other incidents involving U.S. military personnel. The island hosts a large share of the American military presence in Japan, and disputes over bases, aircraft noise, accidents and criminal cases have shaped relations between Okinawa residents, Tokyo and Washington for decades. A 1995 rape of a 12-year-old girl by three U.S. service members triggered large protests and intensified demands to reduce the military burden on the prefecture.
More recent criminal cases have also fueled anger. A Japanese court in 2025 sentenced a U.S. Marine to seven years in prison in a sexual assault case. In another prominent case, a former Marine and civilian base worker was sentenced to life in prison in 2017 for the rape and murder of an Okinawa woman. Those cases have contributed to repeated demands from local leaders for stricter discipline and stronger preventive measures involving U.S. personnel.
Ballard remained in Japanese custody as police continued their investigation. Japanese authorities were expected to refer the case to prosecutors under the country’s criminal justice procedures. No court has determined Ballard’s guilt, and U.S. officials have pledged continued cooperation with Japanese authorities as the investigation proceeds.
Author note: Last updated October 4, 2026.