US troops on Okinawa face month-long curfew and alcohol ban after Marine murder allegation
US forces on Okinawa will face a month-long curfew and alcohol ban after a Marine was arrested on suspicion of murdering a local woman in Naha.
All US military personnel on Okinawa will observe a month-long overnight curfew and an alcohol ban after a Marine was arrested on suspicion of murdering and robbing a local woman, Reuters and USA Today reported.
Lance Cpl. Devin J. Ballard, 20, was arrested by local police on Oct 4 on suspicion of killing Anna Yagi, 39, in a hotel in Naha and taking her wallet and backpack. Ballard, stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, has denied the allegations, Japanese authorities said.
Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson ordered all US military operations on Okinawa paused for 48 hours from Oct 7 while troops undergo training on standards and discipline, with personnel barred from drinking alcohol or leaving base. From Oct 9, all US service members on the island will observe a month-long curfew from midnight to 5 a.m.
“Every interaction with our neighbors either builds or undermines the trust that is essential to our team,” Watson wrote in a letter to personnel.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the killing “extremely brutal and heinous” and strongly protested to the United States, while foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned the US ambassador. Okinawa governor Genta Koja said the US military’s disciplinary enforcement was “not functioning at all” after meeting Takaichi. Protesters took to the streets in Naha and Tokyo over the incident.
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