a. The killing could also complicate Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's effort to strengthen the Japanese military's footprint on the island and to work more closely with the U.S.

Why you should care:

Ballard, who is stationed at Futenma Air Station, is accused of strangling Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in the island's capital city, Naha, early Saturday morning and stealing her wallet and backpack. Japanese media report that Ballard, who is from Ohio, has denied the charges.

Anger in Japan over the rising amount of crime linked to the U.S. military has been growing as the number of criminal cases rose from 40 in 2020 to 101 last year, according to police figures.

The Source: Information for this article was taken from the Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.