Japan Demands Stricter Discipline from US Troops After Okinawa Murder Case

By Staff, Agencies

Japan has called on the United States to strengthen discipline among its military personnel stationed in the country following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with the alleged murder and robbery of a Japanese woman in Okinawa.

Japanese government spokesman Minoru Kihara said Monday that Tokyo and Washington would work together to prevent similar incidents from happening again. The statement followed the arrest of 20-year-old US Marine Devin Jacob Ballard, who is accused of killing and robbing 39-year-old Anna Yagi at a hotel in Naha, Okinawa, on Saturday. Ballard has denied the allegations.

The case has sparked anger in Okinawa, which hosts a large portion of the approximately 50,000 US military personnel stationed in Japan under the countries' security alliance. Japanese officials summoned the US ambassador and the commander of US forces in Japan to express their concerns.

About 100 people reportedly gathered outside the Okinawa prefectural government building on Sunday to protest the incident, with demonstrators questioning how much longer local residents would have to endure crimes allegedly involving US service members.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the incident as “extremely regrettable” and lodged a strong protest with Washington. She also called for full US cooperation with the investigation and stricter discipline among American military personnel.

US Ambassador George Edward Glass said he had spoken with military commanders about maintaining the highest standards of discipline and integrity among American service members. He also said discussions were underway to strengthen trust between US forces, Japanese authorities and communities hosting American bases.

The incident has renewed longstanding concerns in Okinawa over the impact of the US military presence and the repeated occurrence of crimes involving American personnel.