Outrage in Japan after U.S. Marine accused of murdering Okinawan woman
History of violence by U.S. soldiers against women and girls goes back decades
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History → accuse → women
All her life, 24-year-old Sorane Sakihama has heard stories about crimes committed against Japanese women by U.S. soldiers stationed in Okinawa, Japan.
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Sakihama → hear → Okinawa
So when a U.S. Marine was arrested this week on suspicion of robbing and killing a local woman at a hotel in the island's capital city of Naha, Sakihama decided she had to do something.
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she → arrest → something
"As an Okinawan, I don't want to see any victims again," she told As It Happens host Nil Köksal.
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It → want → Köksal
"We have to end this history."
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We → have → history
Sakihama helped organize a protest outside the U.S. embassy in Tokyo on Tuesday, where hundreds of people came to demand justice and call for the ouster of U.S. military bases from Okinawa.
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hundreds → organize → Okinawa
About 160 people gathered at a protest Sunday in Naha, demanding U.S. bases be removed from the island.
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bases → gather → island
One sign read: "We've had enough of this!"
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We → read → this
Okinawa police have arrested Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, who is stationed at Futenma Air Station, on suspicion of strangling Anna Yagi, 39, on Saturday and stealing her wallet and backpack.
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who → arrest → wallet
Ballard denied the allegations, police said.
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police → deny → allegations
Sakihama, who grew up in the town of Chatan, didn't know Yagi personally, but says she has met people who did.
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who → grow → people
"People say she's a really good, kind person."
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she → say → ?
Devin Jacob Ballard, a U.S. Marine, has been arrested on suspicion of robbing and murdering Anna Yagi, 39.
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Ballard → arrest → Yagi
Police say he denies the allegations.
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he → say → allegations
The killing has drawn outrage in Okinawa and inflamed longstanding tensions over the military bases, which many locals see as a source of noise, pollution and violent crime.
Okinawa was under U.S. occupation from the Second World War until 1972.
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Okinawa → draw → 1972
Today, it is home to 70 per cent of the U.S. military facilities based in Japan, and hosts 18,000 U.S. Marines.
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it → base → Marines
"My grandparents experienced World War II, and what they say is that the military never protected us," Sakihama said.
"
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Sakihama → experience → us
They really wanted to have their own land back, but they couldn't."
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they → want → land
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the killing "an extremely brutal and vicious incident" and called on the U.S. to co-operate with the police investigation.
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Takaichi → call → investigation
History of violence against women and girls
The number of U.S. military-related criminal cases on Okinawa rose to 101 last year from about 40 in 2020, according to local police.
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number → relate → police
But the history of violence by U.S. soldiers against women and girls goes back much further.
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history → go → women
In 1995, the rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl by three U.S. servicemen sparked mass protests.
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rape → spark → protests
In 2013, two U.S. sailors pleaded guilty to the rape of a Japanese woman in Okinawa.
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sailors → plead → Okinawa
In 2016, a worker on a U.S. air force base admitted to strangling Rina Shimabukuro, a 20-year-old woman whose body was found in undergrowth.
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body → admit → undergrowth
In 2024, a U.S. Air Force member was charged with kidnapping and raping a teenager girl in Okinawa, and was later sentenced to five years in prison.
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member → charge → prison
"Nothing has changed," Sakihama said.
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Sakihama → change → ?
"[As long as] we have bases in Okinawa, the situation won't change."
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situation → have → Okinawa
Okinawa Gov. Genta Koja, left, speaks to the media in Naha, Okinawa, on Sunday, calling the murder of a local woman 'absolutely unforgivable.'
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Koja → speak → woman
Okinawa Gov. Genta Koja said this latest murder underscores the ineffectiveness of past disciplinary measures taken by the U.S. military following similar crimes.
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murder → say → crimes
"The case deals a major shock and adds fear to the Okinawans who have already been forced to live next to U.S. bases," Koja told reporters Sunday night in Naha.
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Koja → deal → Naha
"It is absolutely unforgivable and we are outraged."
The U.S. embassy and the Marine Corps expressed condolences over Yagi's murder and said they were co-operating with the Japanese authorities.
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they → express → authorities
"The Marine Corps takes these allegations very seriously and expects every Marine to adhere to the highest standards of behaviour," it said in a written statement.
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it → take → statement
George Glass, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, wrote on X that he spoke to U.S. military about holding "our American service members to the very highest levels of discipline and integrity.
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he → write → discipline
"
What happens next?
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What → happen → ?
Despite strongly worded statements from Japanese and U.S. officials, Sakihama says she doesn't believe they will remove the U.S. military presence from Okinawa.
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they → word → Okinawa
"I don't expect anything from them," she said.
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she → expect → them
Prime Minister Takaichi has been pushing to strengthen Japanese military presence and collaborate with U.S. officers on island, which is viewed by Tokyo and Washington as key in deterring potential military aggression from China.
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which → push → China
A woman holds a sign demanding the closure of U.S. military bases in Japan during a protest outside the Japanese prime minister's office on Tuesday.
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woman → hold → Tuesday
The U.S. Marines said Ballard remains in Japanese custody.
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Ballard → say → custody
His case will be handled by Japanese authorities because he was off-duty when the crime was committed and off base when he was arrested.
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he → handle → base
…and 2 more, not listed.
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