For many Okinawa locals, the arrest of a US soldier accused of robbing and killing a woman in a hotel room has reignited decades of frustration over crimes involving US military personnel there. "Honestly my first reaction was, 'Not again,'" 52-year-old longtime Okinawa resident Ai Sato told the BBC. "Nothing has changed since I was a child.
How many times are we going to repeat the same thing, create more victims, cause their families to suffer, and ultimately, cause the people of Okinawa to grieve?" Akemi Oshiro, a 62-year-old Ginowan resident shared similar sentiments. "I know we shouldn't get used to terrible things like this, but because they keep happening, I've stopped being surprised," she told the BBC. Okinawa hosts the largest US military presence in Japan.
It is home to several US military bases and tens of thousands of American troops. US Marine Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, was arrested by Japanese police on Sunday. Police say an investigation is underway and that Ballard is in Japanese custody because the alleged crime was unrelated to official military duties.
Whether a US service member is acting in the performance of official duty, external or not can determine which country has primary jurisdiction. When Japan has jurisdiction, but the suspect is under US custody, they can retain custody until Japan brings charges. Ballard was assigned to III Marine Expeditionary Force and stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan City.
The Okinawa prefectural police say 39-year-old Anna Yagi was found dead early 3 October in a hotel room in Naha. Security footage allegedly shows a man believed to be the suspect entering the hotel with the woman and leaving alone with her belongings. Local media citing police have reported that Yagi appeared to have been strangled with a cord.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi registered an official protest with Washington. But residents like Sato feel that's far from enough. "I am deeply disappointed by the same kinds of government comments we have been hearing for decades -- that they will protest or that they take the matter seriously." "I want Prime Minister Takaichi to call President Trump directly, someone with whom she has been emphasizing as having a close relationship with, and discuss concrete measures to prevent this from happening yet again," she said.
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