Japan vows to work with US on prevention after alleged Okinawa murder

TOKYO – The Japanese government said on Oct 5 it will work with the United States to prevent crimes by US military personnel, following the arrest of a Marine for the alleged murder-robbery of a woman in the island prefecture of Okinawa.Speaking at a regular press conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said: “Japan and the United States will work together to thoroughly prevent a recurrence.”Tokyo protested to the United States at various levels amid outrage after police said on Oct 4 that Devin Ballard, a 20-year-old US Marine stationed in the southern prefecture, had been arrested on suspicion of the robbery and murder of local woman Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in the prefectural capital Naha on Oct 3.Japan will “continue to urge the US side to thoroughly enforce discipline,” added Kihara, the top government spokesman who also serves as minister in charge of mitigating the impact of US forces in Okinawa.Past crimes involving US service members have angered residents of Okinawa, which hosts the bulk of US military installations in Japan.Okinawa Governor Genta Koja, who assumed his role last week after winning the gubernatorial race with the backing of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, expressed his intention to travel to Tokyo as soon as this week to discuss the matter with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.Koja said he will call for a “thorough investigation and measures to prevent further cases”.On Oct 4, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned US Ambassador to Japan George Glass and lodged a “strong protest”, while Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi also did so in Tokyo with lieutenant-general Stephen Jost, commander of US Forces Japan.Takaichi, who heads the LDP, wrote on X that it was “extremely regrettable” that such a crime had occurred.Ballard has denied the charges, police have said. KYODO NEWS