List shows US military bases in Japan as marine accused of killing woman - Newsweek

The Japanese government has lodged a protest against the United States after a U.S. Marine was arrested in connection with the death of a woman in Okinawa, Japan’s southernmost prefecture that hosts about 30,000 active-duty U.S. personnel.

Japan’s foreign ministry filed a grievance on Sunday over the incident, which could revive concerns about the U.S. military presence in Okinawa.

The U.S. seized the island from Japan after World War Two and returned it to Tokyo in 1972 but continues to operate bases there. The U.S. has a substantial military presence across Japan, with major installations across the country hosting around 55,000 personnel, according to My Base Guide.

U.S. officials said that Devin J. Ballard, 20, a lance corporal with the Third Marine Expeditionary Force, was being held by the authorities in Naha, Okinawa’s capital.

Ballard is suspected of robbing and killing Anna Yagi, 39, who was found at a hotel in Naha, police told Reuters. He denies the allegations. Japanese news outlets reported that police say surveillance footage showed Ballard entering the hotel with the victim early on Saturday.

The U.S. embassy in Tokyo said in a statement the U.S. was cooperating with authorities in an investigation.

“We extend our sincere condolences to the victim’s family,” the statement added.

After World War Two, Japan and the United States formalized their alliance with the Mutual Defense Treaty in 1951.

During the Cold War, the American presence in Japan was a buffer in the Pacific against the Soviet Union and newly Communist China. The American presence there today is 'crucial' to oppose Beijing’s push for dominance in the region, as this list shows:

The Japanese foreign ministry said in a statement that foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi “lodged a strong protest expressing that the occurrence of such an extremely brutal and heinous incident is extremely regrettable.”

“Foreign Minister Motegi urged the U.S. side’s full cooperation with the ongoing investigation. He also strongly urged the U.S. side to strengthen discipline and to prevent the recurrence of incidents so that such a tragedy will never be repeated,” the statement added.

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, in comments carried by national broadcaster NHK, said: "Such an incident is unacceptable and I am deeply outraged."

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in a statement “the occurrence of such an extremely brutal and vicious incident is extremely regrettable," adding that Japanese authorities expect “maximum cooperation” from the States.

Takaichi is looking to move some Marines from the Futenma air base to a more remote facility at Henoko, Reuters reported, and the incident could complicate that move.

Okinawa has hosted a peace and anti-base movement opposed to the concentration of U.S. military facilities on the island.

While there is some local opposition to the presence of U.S. troops in Okinawa, its proximity to Taiwan 60 miles away makes it a strategically important location for Tokyo to deter aggression from China.

In 2017, Kenneth Franklin Shinzato, a U.S. Marine veteran who worked as a civilian contractor, was jailed for life following a conviction of the rape and murder of a 20-year-old Japanese woman, Rina Shimabukuro, The New York Times reported.

The alleged incident took place at Naminoue Crystal Hotel in the city’s Wakasa district, an Okinawa Prefectural Police spokesperson said, cited by U.S. military publication Stars and Stripes.

Ballard left the hotel alone sometime later, according to local police. A hotel employee called the Naha Fire Department after finding the woman unconscious.

Ballard allegedly stole the victim's wallet and another item and killed her sometime between 2.10 a.m. and 4.17 a.m., Saturday, according to police.

Ballard was arrested while walking in an Okinawa city nightlife district the following night. He has denied the allegations, according to the police spokesperson.

Local television reported that closed circuit TV showed that the suspect had a shaved head and tattoos on both arms. A 200-strong investigation unit has been set up, according to local media.

Ballard was in Japanese custody Sunday and his case is expected to be referred to the Naha Public Prosecutors Office within 48 hours of his arrest.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Cristina Diciu.