U.S. Marine arrested on suspicion of killing Japanese woman in Okinawa

A United States service member is in custody on suspicion of killing a Japanese national on the island of Okinawa.

Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, is suspected of killing Anna Yagi, 39, in a hotel in Naha, the capital of the southernmost prefecture, on Saturday and taking her wallet and backpack, ​local police said. Ballard denied the allegations, police said.

The Marine was stationed at Futenma Air Station on Okinawa Island, police said, adding that he was arrested at 1 a.m. local time early Sunday.

“An investigation is underway to determine the facts of the case, the United States is communicating and cooperating with the Government of Japan and local authorities,” the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo said Sunday in a post on X.

NBC News has contacted the Pentagon for further comment.

Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi described the death as an alleged robbery and murder.

“The occurrence of such an extremely brutal and heinous incident is a matter of profound regret, and as the Government of Japan, we have lodged a strong protest with the U.S. side,” she said on social media.

Japan’s Ministry of Defense said it was “deeply outraged by the extremely brutal and heinous crime…

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