US marine charged over Japanese woman's murder

A US Marine has been charged over the murder and robbery of a woman in Japan's Okinawa prefecture while he was stationed there.

Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, has been accused of killing Anna Yagi in a hotel in the region's capital Naha and taking her wallet and backpack on October 3.

The 39-year-old woman appeared to have been strangled to death, according to police in local media reports.

Mr Ballard has denied the allegations.

"The case was indicted on October 25," a spokesman for the court in Naha confirmed to AFP. 

The III Marine Expeditionary Force also said it was aware Mr Ballard had been charged.

"We recognise the seriousness of the charges and will continue to cooperate fully with Japanese authorities in their ongoing investigation as the legal process moves forward," it said in a statement.

Crimes including rapes, assaults, hit-and-runs and drunk driving by US military personnel have long triggered protests on the southern Japanese island, which has for years urged other regions in the country to share the burden of hosting US troops.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has said that officials were reviewing the off-base code of conduct for US troops following Ms Yagi's death.

The high-level bilateral consultations will examine off-duty conduct and the "liberty" policy governing off-base private activities of US military personnel, he said.

The existing policy, updated in 2024 following a string of sexual assaults by US military personnel in Okinawa, includes a ban on US military personnel drinking in public off base between 1am and 5am or going to bars during those hours.

The US military enacted a two-day operational pause after the Marine's arrest to reinforce discipline and standards, followed by a month-long curfew.

The United States has around 54,000 military personnel stationed in Japan, mostly on Okinawa.

AFP/Reuters