Japanese police accuse the 20-year-old Marine of killing a Naha woman and stealing her belongings at a hotel.
NAHA, Japan — Japanese police sent the case of a U.S. Marine to prosecutors Monday after arresting him on suspicion of killing a 39-year-old woman and stealing her belongings at a hotel in Okinawa, a case that has prompted protests and demands for cooperation from U.S. authorities.
Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, is suspected of killing Anna Yagi of Naha early Saturday at a hotel in the city’s Wakasa district, according to Okinawa Prefectural Police. Police allege that Ballard took Yagi’s wallet and other belongings. Authorities have said Ballard denies the allegations. The case was forwarded Monday to the Naha Public Prosecutors Office as the investigation continued.
Police have said security camera footage showed Yagi entering the hotel with a man believed to be Ballard and showed him leaving alone later. A hotel employee found Yagi unresponsive after she did not check out and emergency officials were called. Police have said the woman died of asphyxiation and allege that pressure was applied to her neck. Authorities have not announced a final court determination about what happened, and Ballard has not been convicted of a crime.
Investigators located Ballard the following night in an entertainment district in Okinawa City, according to police accounts reported by several news organizations. Officers questioned him and arrested him early Sunday. Ballard is assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force and stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, a major U.S. installation on Okinawa.
The Marine Corps said it was cooperating with Japanese authorities and that it takes allegations of serious criminal conduct by its personnel seriously. The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo also expressed condolences to Yagi’s family and said American officials were communicating with Japanese national and local authorities.
The arrest quickly drew attention beyond the criminal investigation. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said her government had lodged a strong protest with the United States and called for full cooperation with investigators, stronger discipline among U.S. personnel and steps to prevent similar incidents. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned U.S. Ambassador George Glass, while Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi called in the commander of U.S. Forces Japan.
Okinawa Gov. Genta Koja also confronted U.S. officials Monday, saying the case had renewed fears among residents who live near American military installations. Koja and Naha Mayor Satoru Chinen presented a protest letter to Marine Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson, commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, and U.S. Consul General Andrew Ou. The Okinawan officials called for tougher discipline and changes to the agreement governing the status of U.S. military personnel in Japan.
The case comes against a long history of tension over the American military presence on Okinawa. Roughly half of the approximately 50,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan are based on the island, and most of the roughly 18,000 Marines stationed in Japan are there. Residents have raised concerns for decades over aircraft noise, accidents, pollution and crimes involving U.S. personnel. A 1995 rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl by three U.S. servicemen triggered mass protests and remains a major reference point in local opposition to the bases.
Futenma Air Station itself has been a focus of political conflict for years. Japan’s central government has pursued plans to move the base from its densely populated location in Ginowan to a new facility at Henoko, also on Okinawa. Many opponents instead want the base moved entirely outside the prefecture. The latest arrest has again connected a criminal investigation involving a service member with the broader debate over how the U.S. military operates on the island.
Ballard remained in Japanese custody as prosecutors received the case. Authorities had not announced a prosecution decision as of Monday, and police continued investigating the circumstances surrounding Yagi’s death and the alleged theft of her belongings.
Author note: Last updated October 5, 2026.