Naha:About 100 people gathered near the Okinawa prefectural government building in protest following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a murder-robbery case in the southern Japanese prefecture.

According to Thai News Agency, Okinawa police arrested Devin Jacob Ballard, stationed at the US Marine Corps' Futenma air base in Ginowan, for allegedly murdering a 39-year-old woman and stealing her belongings in a hotel room in Naha, the capital of the prefecture.

During Sunday's protest rally, which was organized through a social media proposal, participants expressed their anger over this and other crimes linked to US military personnel in Okinawa. A woman from Nago, who attended with her young son, criticized the contradiction of a serviceman meant to protect Japan committing such a crime. Another woman from Ginowan expressed her distress, stating she did not want to see more people harmed.

Approximately 70% of the facilities in Japan designated for US military use are situated in Okinawa. Since 2020, the number of cases involving US troops or their family members that required police intervention has been increasing. In 2025, Okinawa police took action against 80 individuals connected to US bases in 101 cases, marking the first time in over two decades that the number of cases exceeded 100. These cases included various crimes such as robberies, assaults, and sexual assaults.

In March of the previous year, a US Marine was indicted for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman at a US base in Okinawa. Furthermore, it was revealed in June 2024 that a serviceman from the US Kadena Air Base had been indicted for allegedly raping a girl under 16. These incidents, along with others, sparked widespread protests as the Japanese government and Okinawa police had not informed the prefectural government.