Japan indicts U.S. Marine in Okinawa killing, reports say

TOKYO — Japanese prosecutors have indicted a U.S. Marine on charges of robbery and murder of a Japanese woman in the country’s southernmost prefecture of Okinawa, Japanese media reported.

Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa, is suspected of killing Anna Yagi, 39, in a hotel in Naha, the prefectural capital, earlier this month. Ballard has denied the allegations.

U.S. Marine in custody on suspicion of murder in Japan

Public broadcaster NHK reported prosecutors indicted Ballard on Sunday, adding that he allegedly strangled the victim with a telephone cord and stole a backpack containing a wallet, citing the Naha District Public Prosecutors’ Office.

The prosecutors’ office could not be reached for comment outside business hours.

The case set off protests in Okinawa and the nation’s capital, Tokyo, drew condemnation from Japanese political leaders and prompted a curfew and alcohol ban for U.S. soldiers stationed in Okinawa. It is the latest in a string of incidents stretching back years that have fueled unease over the large U.S. troop presence on the island chain near Taiwan and China.

The III Marine Expeditionary Force said in a statement that it is aware Ballard has been indicted.

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/world