US troops on Okinawa have been placed under a 48-hour alcohol ban and a 30-day curfew after a Marine was arrested on suspicion of murdering a local woman.
Lieutenant General Benjamin Watson, commander of the III Marine Expeditionary Force, announced a “complete prohibition of alcohol consumption on or off base” from Wednesday.
The 48-hour period, described as an “operational pause”, is intended to allow commanders to train service members on “standards, discipline, and our responsibilities as members of the Okinawan community”. Military operations will stop during the pause and troops will not be permitted off-base liberty.
A separate “period of reflection” will begin on Friday. Under the curfew, personnel must return to their quarters on base or their off-base homes by midnight and remain there until 5am for 30 days.
Police said Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, a 20-year-old Marine stationed at Futenma Air Station, was arrested over the alleged killing of 39-year-old Anna Yagi at a hotel in Naha early on Saturday. He is also suspected of stealing her wallet and backpack.
Ballard has denied the allegations, according to Japanese media.
The case has caused anger on Okinawa, where crimes involving US forces have repeatedly fuelled opposition to the American military presence. Residents have also raised concerns about noise and pollution, although many acknowledge the strategic importance of the bases amid what is widely viewed as a growing threat from China.
Okinawa is home to the bulk of the 54,000 US military personnel based in Japan. Governor Genta Koja met Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in Tokyo on Wednesday and said the incident had caused “deep anxiety” among residents.
“The prefectural government has repeatedly demanded that the U.S. military take measures to prevent a recurrence every time an incident occurs, but the fact that such an incident has happened again forces us to conclude that discipline within the U.S. forces and their human rights education are not functioning at all,” he told Mr Koizumi.
Mr Koizumi said Japan would “advance discussions with the United States on how to implement effective measures” to prevent similar incidents. Mr Koja was also due to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi later on Wednesday.
