US Marine arrested over homicide of girl in Okinawa, Japan

A US Marine has been arrested on suspicion of homicide after a girl’s physique was present in a lodge in Okinawa, Japan, native officers say.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the crime as a “brutal and heinous” theft and homicide. She mentioned she had urged the US to “implement stricter self-discipline” of its personnel.

Japan’s public broadcaster NHK recognized the sufferer as Yagi Anna, 39, and the suspect as Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, who’s stationed at US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.

“We are actively cooperating with Japanese authorities, in response to allegations of significant felony actions by a Marine,” the Marine Corps mentioned on social media, extending condolences to the sufferer’s household.

Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi mentioned the girl’s physique was found early Saturday morning in a lodge in Naha City, the capital of the Okinawa prefecture.

“Such an incident is completely inexcusable and fills me with robust indignation,” Koizumi wrote on social media, including that “incidents and accidents involving U.S. navy personnel trigger important anxiousness to the local people and must not ever happen”.

The US Embassy in Tokyo mentioned that it was totally cooperating with the Japanese authorities and native police. Japan’s international ministry mentioned it summoned US ambassador George Glass to debate the incident on Sunday.

Okinawa is dwelling to a number of US navy bases and tens of hundreds of American troops.

Okinawa Governor Genta Koja says the prefecture has repeatedly demanded that the US take motion to stop such incidents, and mentioned he sees the alleged crime as an indication of a scarcity of self-discipline.

“The undeniable fact that this type of occasion has occurred once more leaves us no alternative however to conclude that the US navy’s efforts in sustaining self-discipline, educating personnel, and different such measures are utterly ineffective,” he mentioned.