US Marine indicted for murder and robbery of woman in Japan

A US Marine has been indicted on suspicion of murdering and robbing a woman in Japan earlier this month in a case that has triggered protests, Japanese media reports.

Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, who was stationed at US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, was arrested on suspicion of killing Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in Naha, the capital of Okinawa.

Prosecutors have now indicted him for allegedly strangling Yagi with a telephone cord and then stealing her backpack and wallet on 3 October, media reports, citing the indictment document.

It wasreported Ballard had denied the allegations, but Asahi Shimbun and Kyodo News cited investigators saying he has made some statements suggesting involvement.

Security footage allegedly shows a man believed to be the suspect entering the hotel with the woman and leaving alone with her belongings.

Yagi's death has caused outrage in Japan, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi describing the crime as "brutal and heinous".

Earlier this month, the Marine Corps said it was "actively cooperating with Japanese authorities, in response to allegations of serious criminal actions by a Marine" and extended condolences to the victim's family.

It is the latest case involving a US serviceman in Okinawa, which hosts the highest concentration of around 55,000 US soldiers stationed in Japan.

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