Protesters rally in Tokyo over Okinawa woman's killing by US Marine

Dozens of protesters gathered outside Japan’s foreign ministry in Tokyo on Thursday over the killing of a woman in Okinawa, for which a US Marine is the suspect, many holding signs condemning crimes by American service members.

Protest leaders spoke over loudspeakers about abuses by US troops and called on the government to respond, while others in the crowd rattled noisemakers in support, Dawn reported, citing Reuters.

The killing

Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, is suspected of killing Anna Yagi, 39, in a hotel in Naha, Okinawa’s capital, last weekend and taking her wallet and backpack. Ballard has denied the allegations, police said.

Public broadcaster NHK reported after his arrest that CCTV footage near the scene showed a foreign man entering a room with a woman and later leaving with her belongings. Her brother said the family was “deeply saddened” and that their parents were “utterly devastated”.

Tokyo protests to Washington

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has called the killing “extremely brutal and heinous”. Tokyo said it had strongly protested to the United States and demanded measures to stop such incidents from happening again.

US forces pause operations

On Wednesday, US forces in Japan began a 48-hour pause in military operations and a ban on alcohol while troops undergo training on standards and discipline. Service members have also been placed under a month-long curfew for a “period of reflection”.

Muted reaction so far

Public reaction has so far been muted compared with the mass protests that followed the rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl by three US servicemen in 1995. But the case is the latest in a long string of incidents that have fed unease over the large US troop presence on the island chain near Taiwan and China. US officials have warned that such cases could damage ties that are vital to security in East Asia.

Past cases include:

• 2017: a former Marine and base worker was jailed for life for the rape and murder of a local woman
• 2017: US Forces Japan banned all personnel from drinking after a drunk Marine crashed into a mini-truck, killing its 61-year-old driver
• Last year: a Marine was jailed for seven years for choking and attempting to rape a woman
• 2024: arrests of US personnel in Okinawa reached 80, the highest in 20 years

Okinawa’s burden

Japan hosts the largest overseas contingent of US forces in the world. Most of the 18,000 Marines based in Japan are stationed in Okinawa, which the US held from the end of World War Two until 1972. The presence has long caused resentment among residents over noise, aircraft crashes and the conduct of personnel.

Why it matters

The protest outside the foreign ministry brings the anger over Yagi’s killing from Okinawa to the capital. With the US military imposing a pause, an alcohol ban and a curfew, both governments are under pressure to show that such crimes will not be repeated.

This article draws on reporting by Dawn and Reuters.