Details of a robbery and murder case involving U.S. troops stationed in Japan were revealed, and the suspect refused to plead guilty.

On the 6th, Japanese media revealed details of a suspected robbery and murder case involving US troops stationed in Japan, triggering public indignation. The police suspect that the U.S. soldier involved in the case killed a Japanese woman using a phone cord in a hotel room, stole her wallet and other items, and then fled, changing clothes to try to evade pursuit. After being arrested, the suspect answered "I don't know" when questioned and refused to plead guilty.

According to multiple Japanese media reports, the US soldier involved in the case, Devin Ballard, is 20 years old and belongs to the US Marine Corps stationed at the US military Futenma Base. The murdered woman, Anna Yagina, was 39 years old and lived in Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture. Local police said that at about 2:10 a.m. on the 3rd, Ballard and Anna Yagi walked into a hotel in Naha City together; more than an hour later, surveillance video outside the hotel showed Ballard leaving alone.

A forensic autopsy showed that Anna Yagina died of suffocation due to strangulation of the neck. The police investigation found that the phone receiver fell off in the hotel room where the two were staying, and they suspected that the suspect used the phone line to commit the crime. The police arrested Ballard in an entertainment district in Okinawa City on the 4th based on the suspect's bald head, tattoos on both arms and other physical characteristics. When he was arrested, he was wearing completely different clothes than when he left the hotel. The police suspected that he deliberately changed his clothes to avoid pursuit.

When questioned by the police, Ballard always answered "don't know" and denied committing the crime. The case is still under investigation at this stage.

This case once again aroused strong dissatisfaction among the Japanese people. Local residents said that although Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae has expressed "extreme regret" about the incident, this is far from enough. For decades, the Japanese government has often responded with "take it seriously" when encountering similar incidents, but has no specific response measures, which is disappointing. Some residents said that Okinawa does not need U.S. troops stationed in Okinawa because of frequent crimes committed by U.S. troops stationed in Japan.

The newly appointed governor of Okinawa Prefecture, Genta Furusha, said that he will go to Tokyo on the 7th to protest the matter to the Japanese central government.