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The arrest of a US Marine accused of robbing and killing a woman in a hotel room has revived decades of frustration among residents of Japan’s Okinawa prefecture over crimes involving US military personnel.
“Honestly, my first reaction was, ‘Not again,’” Ai Sato, a 52-year-old longtime resident, told the BBC. She said little had changed since her childhood and questioned how many more victims and grieving families the island would have to endure.
Akemi Oshiro, a 62-year-old resident of Ginowan, said repeated incidents had left her no longer surprised, although she did not believe people should become accustomed to them.
US Marine Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, was arrested by Japanese police on Sunday. Police say the investigation is continuing and that Ballard is in Japanese custody because the alleged crime was not connected to his official duties.
Whether a US service member was carrying out official duties can determine which country has primary jurisdiction. If Japan has jurisdiction but a suspect is held by the US, American authorities can retain custody until Japan brings charges.
Ballard was assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force and stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan. Okinawa is home to the largest US military presence in Japan, with several bases and tens of thousands of American troops.
Okinawa prefectural police say 39-year-old Anna Yagi was found dead in a Naha hotel room early on 3 October. Security footage allegedly shows a man believed to be the suspect entering the hotel with her and leaving alone with her belongings. Local media, citing police, reported that Yagi appeared to have been strangled with a cord.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi lodged an official protest with Washington. Sato said she was disappointed by what she described as familiar government statements of protest, and called on Takaichi to speak directly with US President Donald Trump about concrete measures to prevent similar incidents.
About 100 people protested in Naha and Tokyo after news of the suspected killing. Others expressed anger on social media and called for justice.
Long-running opposition to US military presence
Okinawa has seen growing local opposition to the US military presence following a series of accidents and crimes. In 2016, the rape and murder of a 20-year-old local woman prompted tens of thousands of people to protest. A former US Marine was later sentenced to life in prison for the crime.
The United States has about 55,000 military personnel stationed in Japan, with the largest concentration on Okinawa. Although the prefecture is among Japan’s smallest by area, it contains 70% of the land in Japan used exclusively by the US military.
Okinawa returned to Japanese control in 1972, after US forces occupied the islands at the end of the Second World War. Since then, 6,409 arrests for criminal offences related to US military personnel have been recorded, according to the Okinawa prefectural government.
Residents have cited crimes including rape, assault and drunk-driving incidents, as well as noise and aircraft crashes, as sources of resentment. In 1995, three US servicemen abducted, beat and raped a 12-year-old schoolgirl who was walking home from a stationery store. In 2025, a US Marine was convicted of choking and sexually assaulting a Japanese woman.
“Even 80 years after the war, Okinawa, where we live, is a place that is so unnerving,” Hitomi Miyagi, a 48-year-old mother of two, told the BBC. She said residents would continue speaking out in hope of a peaceful Okinawa.
