Tokyo, Oct. 6 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Tuesday that he will meet with Okinawa Governor Genta Koja on Wednesday, following the arrest of a U.S. Marine on suspicion of robbery and murder in the southern Japan prefecture. Koizumi and Koja are expected to discuss measures to prevent a recurrence, planning to ask the U.S. side to take necessary steps. Devin Jacob Ballard, stationed at the Marine Corps’ Futenma air base in the Okinawa city of Ginowan, was arrested by the prefectural police on Sunday on suspicion of killing a 39-year-old woman in a hotel room in Naha, the capital of the prefecture, and stealing her belongings on Saturday. “Incidents and accidents involving U.S. military personnel should never happen as they cause significant anxiety to local residents,” Koizumi told a press conference. “I’d like to think about ways to prevent such things from happening while communicating with the U.S. side, after listening to what Governor Koja has to say,” the minister added. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
