Japan summons US envoy as marine arrested over Okinawa murder

Japan summoned the US ambassador after a US marine was arrested on suspicion of robbing and murdering a 39-year-old woman on Okinawa, authorities and media reported. The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Lance-Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, has denied the charges. Local reports and AFP cited CCTV footage said to show a non-Japanese man entering a hotel room with the victim in Naha and later leaving alone with items believed to belong to her. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the case as an "extremely brutal and heinous incident" and said the Japanese government has lodged a strong protest with the United States while pressing for full cooperation in the inquiry. Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi also commented on social media, saying accidents and incidents involving US military personnel cause serious local anxiety and must not occur. US Ambassador George Glass expressed condolences and pledged "full cooperation" with the investigation. The arrest has reignited tensions around the large American military presence on the island: Japan hosts roughly 54,000 US service members nationwide, including about 18,000 marines, with the bulk stationed in Okinawa. Incidents involving US forces have a long history in Okinawa; local reporting cited in the coverage noted that since Okinawa returned to Japanese administration in 1972, roughly 6,000 US military personnel have been arrested in Japan, a statistic that frames current public concern and government-level engagement over the case.