“US Marine indicted over robbery, murder of woman in Okinawa”

Key points

• Prosecutors indicted a 20-year-old US Marine on Oct 25 for robbing and murdering a woman in Okinawa Prefecture.
• Devin Ballard, stationed at Futenma Air Base, allegedly killed the woman by wrapping a phone cord around her neck on Oct 3.
• The victim died by suffocation; Ballard was arrested the day after the alleged crime.
• Governor Koja urged the central government to take preventive measures amid rising anti-US sentiment.
• Japan and the US discussed preventive steps and disciplined conduct of personnel following the incident.