NAHA, Japan - A 20-year-old U.S. Marine was arrested Sunday in Okinawa Prefecture on suspicion of robbing and murdering a local woman, police said, prompting Japan to lodge an immediate protest with the United States and sparking outrage from the governor of the island prefecture, which hosts a heavy U.S. military presence.

Devin Ballard, stationed at the Futenma air base, is suspected of killing Anna Yagi, 39, and taking her wallet and backpack in the early hours of Saturday at a hotel in Naha, according to the Okinawa prefectural police. The suspect has denied the charges, they added.

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