Japan summons US ambassador following arrest of marine in Okinawa murder case

Japan has summoned the United States ambassador after a US marine was arrested on suspicion of robbing and murdering a woman. US ambassador to Japan George Glass pledged full cooperation on Sunday. Lance-Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard is accused of killing 39-year-old Anna Yagi on the southern island of Okinawa, where thousands of US servicemen are stationed. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed profound regret over the incident on social media, stating, "The occurrence of such an extremely brutal and heinous incident is a matter of profound regret." Takaichi added that the Government of Japan has lodged a strong protest with the US, demanding maximum cooperation with the investigation. Glass confirmed the US policy of providing full cooperation with the investigation while offering condolences on social media. The 20-year-old marine has denied the charges. According to local Japanese media, CCTV footage showed a non-Japanese man entering a hotel room with Yagi in the city of Naha. Later, the footage reportedly shows the man leaving alone with what appeared to be the woman’s belongings, as reported by the AFP news agency. Japan’s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi stated on social media that incidents involving US military personnel cause significant anxiety in the local community and must not occur. Japan hosts about 54,000 US military personnel, including 18,000 marines, primarily based in Okinawa, which came under US administrative control after World War II and was returned to Japan in 1972. Since the handover, approximately 6,000 US military personnel have been arrested in Japan, according to the local newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun.