If convicted, he could face life in prison or the death penalty.

Murder-robbery may fall into first degree, and it's said the Japanese conviction rate is high.

Unlike Pemberton who offed a trans and later got away scot-free because of a broken justice system of a developing country.

I find it very likely that a US serviceman murdered Anna Yagi.

Without seeing how unique the tattoos on his arm are, I don't know how confident I would be that David Ballard is the serviceman who murdered her.

They're trained murderers, mercenaries on a payroll not people defending their community who had to take up arms, they kill for money (or for the love of the game, which is arguably worse)... who would expect them to behave in any humane or responsible way? And I say that as a former little soldier of the FFL. 🤷‍♂️

They're Marines.

Behavioral problems long before entering the uniformed services. There is little quality control.

Yeah, that's why I included that snippet about the huge increase in crimes among US servicemen in Japan in this last year.

It's definitely getting worse, owing to fractured incompetent leadership more than anything else.

It was enabled, facikitated for so long it became culture. Oppressors.

Unfortunately it's not just a US or a "in Okinawa" problem. It's a problem as old as civilisations have had militaries and sent them to other countries.

I'm not saying there's no point in trying to fix it but... It's pervasive in time and space.

I mean, look at their president. It is their best after all.

its rape and murder. It doesnt matter how young he is-- he is an adult. If he did it he should pay the penalty for his crimes in both japan and the US, whichever is steeper. Fair trial and then execution sounds like what it'll be, and he'll be getting off easy, for what he seems to have done. fuck that guy, and your trying to water down his crimes is pretty odd.

Although building on that, I think the "Mainland" Japanese have been pretty content to have the Americans corralled on one little island (Post WW2, it was bases on the home islands that were shut down), with their easily othered country-cousins the Okinawans being the ones who have to deal with the American troops day-to-day, many of whom are dumb kids on their first tour. I can guarantee you that neither my dad in the 60s nor my brother in the 90s was interested in good-faith cultural exchange while stationed there with the Marines.