US forces impose Okinawa curfew after Marine’s arrest

U.S. forces on Okinawa have imposed a 48-hour alcohol ban and announced a 30-day curfew after a Marine was arrested on suspicion of killing a local woman and stealing her wallet and backpack. The case has renewed anger over the American military presence on the Japanese island.

Police said Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, who is stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of killing Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in Naha and taking her belongings. Japanese media reported that he denied the allegations. Al Jazeera reported that Ballard is suspected of strangling Yagi.

Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson, commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force and the most senior U.S. military figure on Okinawa, announced a “complete prohibition of alcohol consumption on or off base” beginning Wednesday. Military operations will cease during the 48-hour period, and troops will not be allowed off-base liberty, he said.

Watson called the halt “an operational pause” that would allow commanders to train service members on “standards, discipline, and our responsibilities as members of the Okinawan community.”

A 30-day “period of reflection” will begin Friday. During that time, troops must be at their assigned quarters on base or at their off-base homes from midnight to 5 a.m., Watson said.

Okinawa Governor Genta Koja raised the case Wednesday in Tokyo with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, calling for stronger action to prevent crimes involving U.S. personnel and to ease the island’s burden from military bases. Koja, who took office a week ago, said the killing had deeply shocked residents and asked for a committee to discuss base-related concerns.

“Okinawa has requested preventive measures every time similar crimes were repeated in past, and now we have this case again,” Koja told Takaichi, according to Al Jazeera.

Takaichi said she regretted what she called the “heinous crime” and shared Okinawa’s outrage. She said she expected the U.S. government to take further steps after the restrictions announced by the military, and that Japan and the United States would discuss effective preventive measures.

Koja also met Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi. He told Koizumi the case had “caused deep anxiety” among residents and said repeated requests for preventive measures had failed, according to CBS News. Koja said the recurrence of such an incident showed that U.S. military discipline and human rights education were “not functioning at all.” Koizumi said he would advance discussions with the United States on ways to prevent similar incidents.

Okinawa hosts the bulk of the 54,000 U.S. military personnel based in Japan, according to CBS News. Residents have long complained about crimes involving service members, as well as noise and pollution from the bases. CBS News reported that many residents also recognize the bases’ strategic value because of what is widely viewed as a growing threat from China.

Previous cases have intensified opposition to the U.S. presence. Al Jazeera reported that a Japanese court sentenced a Marine to seven years in prison last year for choking and attempting to rape a woman. In 2017, a former Marine and civilian base worker received a life sentence for the rape and murder of an Okinawa woman. That year, U.S. Forces Japan banned alcohol consumption after an intoxicated Marine killed a local driver in a crash, Al Jazeera reported.