TOKYO, Oct 26 (Reuters) – Japanese prosecutors have indicted a US Marine on charges of robbery and murder of a Japanese woman in the country’s southernmost prefecture of Okinawa, Japanese media reported.
Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa, is suspected of killing Anna Yagi, 39, in a hotel in Naha, the prefectural capital, earlier this month. Ballard has denied the allegations.
Public broadcaster NHK reported prosecutors indicted Ballard on Sunday, adding he allegedly strangled the victim with a telephone cord and stole a backpack containing a wallet, citing the Naha District Public Prosecutors’ Office.
The Prosecutors’ Office could not be reached for comment outside business hours.
The case sparked protests in Okinawa and the nation’s capital Tokyo, drew condemnation from Japanese political leaders and prompted a curfew and alcohol ban for US soldiers stationed in Okinawa. It is the latest in a string of incidents stretching back years that have fuelled unease over the large US troop presence on the island chain near Taiwan and China.
The III Marine Expeditionary Force said in a statement that it is aware Ballard has been indicted.
“We recognize 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.
(Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama; Additional reporting by Tim Kelly: Editing by Sharon Singleton)
