The Prime Minister of Japan protests to Washington against the backdrop of the arrest of an American soldier on charges of killing a Japanese woman

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi submitted a protest to the United States today (Sunday) after a US Marine was arrested on suspicion of committing two crimes of robbery and murder against a Japanese woman in Okinawa.

Japanese police said that Devin Jacob Ballard (20 years old) is the suspect in the killing of Anna Yagi (39 years old) in a hotel in Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, yesterday (Saturday), and stealing her wallet and bag.

Police added that Ballard denied the accusations against him. “It is extremely unfortunate that such a brutal and evil incident occurred,” Takaichi said in a statement.

She continued: “The Japanese government strongly protests to the American side, and strongly demands maximum cooperation with the investigation, and also demands tightening discipline and implementing comprehensive rules and procedures to prevent this from happening again.”

The US Embassy and Marine Corps expressed condolences and stressed cooperation with the Japanese authorities.

The Marine Corps announced in a statement that the suspect, who is serving at the Futenma Marine Air Base, in the far south of Japan, is in the custody of Japanese authorities.

The statement added: “The Marine Corps takes such accusations seriously, and expects every member of the Marine Corps to adhere to the highest standards of proper conduct.”

Most of the US Marines serving in Japan (numbering about 18,000) are stationed on the island of Okinawa, which has been under American control since the end of World War II until 1972.

Their presence has repeatedly aroused residents' dissatisfaction, due to problems such as noise, plane crashes, and the behavior of soldiers.

The rape of a 12-year-old Okinawa girl by three American soldiers in 1995 led to the outbreak of mass protests.

Okinawa is about 100 kilometers away from Taiwan at the closest point, and therefore it constitutes a fundamental pillar in the eyes of Tokyo and Washington to deter any potential military aggression from China.