US Marine Indicted Over Robbery-Murder of Woman in Okinawa

Prosecutors in Okinawa on Sunday (Oct 25) indicted a 20-year-old US Marine on robbery and murder charges in the Okinawa murder case involving a woman found dead at a hotel in Naha earlier this month, local media reported.

The accused, Devin Ballard, is stationed at Futenma Air Base, according to the report, which cited Kyodo News. A spokesperson for the III Marine Expeditionary Force earlier said he was assigned to that unit and described him as a lance corporal.

Details of the Okinawa Murder Case

Ballard is accused of killing the 39-year-old Japanese woman on Oct 3 at a hotel in Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, by wrapping a phone cord around her neck. The indictment gives suffocation as the cause of death, according to the report.

He is also alleged to have taken her backpack, which held a wallet. ABC News reported earlier this month, citing police, that the woman was found at about 4.30am and pronounced dead at the scene, and that the backpack was later found near the hotel with the wallet still inside.

Police found Ballard walking alone in Okinawa city late on Oct 3 and arrested him the following day on suspicion of robbery and murder. None of the reports said whether he has admitted or denied the allegations.

Prosecutors’ Statement

Hiroya Ishii, deputy chief of the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office, said in a statement that prosecutors would argue the case at trial based on the law and evidence. “We want to do our best to make accurate arguments,” he said, as quoted by Kyodo.

The case has renewed anti-US base sentiment among local residents, the report said. Okinawa hosts the bulk of US military installations in Japan.

Japan’s Protest and US Curfew

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has called the killing a heinous crime. Her government lodged a strong protest with the United States, urging full cooperation with the investigation and strict discipline among military personnel. Takaichi earlier described the incident as “a matter of profound regret”, ABC News reported.

Okinawa Governor Genta Koja has stepped up calls on the central government to take preventive measures, while Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Japan and the US had begun talks on preventive steps, including a review of the US military’s off-base liberty policy and joint patrols by US forces and Japanese police.

Following the arrest, the US military in Okinawa on Oct 9 imposed a 30-day curfew for troops stationed in the prefecture, running from midnight to 5am.

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