A U.S. Marine’s arrest on suspicion of murder in Okinawa, Japan, over the weekend has inflamed tensions between the two allies and raised new questions about the heavy U.S. military presence on the island.
Several U.S. government and military officials received protest letters and summons from Japanese leaders after local police arrested the 20-year-old Marine, Devin Jacob Ballard, on Saturday in connection with the killing of a local woman.
“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, while firmly demanding maximum cooperation with the investigation, strict discipline among U.S. military personnel, and thorough measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents and accidents,” Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi wrote Sunday in a post on X.
The U.S. has maintained a continuous military presence in Japan since 1945, when American forces occupied Japan to enforce the country’s surrender and demilitarization at the end of World War II. Japanese leaders have supported strengthening the U.S. military presence in the country in recent years to bolster the country’s force posture to regional threats from China and North Korea.
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But more than 70% of the land operated by U.S. military facilities in Japan is concentrated in Okinawa, which has led to increased tensions with locals.
Okinawa, part of a chain of Japanese islands situated close to China, hosts 32 U.S. military bases.
Japan’s Foreign Affairs Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned George Glass, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, in a rare formal complaint on Sunday following the arrest of the Marine.
“Ambassador Glass reiterated deep regret over the loss of life and reaffirmed that the U.S. side will cooperate fully with Japanese authorities in their investigations, and the U.S. side is committed to doing everything they can to prevent such incidents,” the Ministry said in a news release.
Glass said in a post on X Monday that he had assured Japanese officials, including Motegi and Okinawa Governor Genta Koja, that he plans to speak with U.S. military commanders this week about their efforts to “hold our American servicemembers to the very highest levels of discipline and integrity.”
Glass also spoke with Lt. Gen. Benjamin T. Watson, the commanding general of the Marine forces stationed in Japan, to address the U.S.’s “next steps in strengthening that bond of trust with our Japanese partners and base-hosting communities.”
Watson addressed reporters after Koja and Naha Mayor Satoru Chinen gave him a letter at the Okinawa prefectural office demanding a review of U.S.-Japan status of forces agreement and stricter discipline measures for U.S. personnel stationed in the country, according to Stars and Stripes.
“I meant it when I said that Okinawa is our home. It is my home, and any serious incidents that cause anxiety and concern for the people of Okinawa cause us concern,” Watson said Monday.
Okinawa prefectural police arrested Ballard, a 20-year-old Marine stationed at Futenma Air Station, on suspicion of strangling 39-year-old Anna Yagi. Ballard is accused of killing Yagi at a hotel in Naha, Okinawa’s capital city, early Saturday and stealing her personal belongings, according to The Associated Press.
Several Japanese media outlets reported that Ballard denied the allegation and told investigators, “I don’t know anything about it.”
Japanese citizens also launched protests over the weekend to the large U.S. military presence in their country, with more than 50,000 troops across all military branches stationed there, according to U.S. Forces Japan.
The alleged murder has reignited long-standing friction between the U.S. and Japan over criminal activity committed by American military personnel. Between 1972 and 2023, 6,124 people were arrested for criminal offenses committed by U.S. military personnel, and 759 were arrested for crimes such as murder, robbery and sexual assault, according to a 2024 police report cited by the Okinawan newspaper Ryukyu Shimpo.
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