US forces in Okinawa were banned from drinking alcohol for 48 hours on Wednesday and were placed under a 30-day curfew following the events. murder of local woman allegedly committed by a US Marine.
The case has sparked outrage on the Japanese island, where any crime involving American forces has long inflamed criticism of the presence of troops. Residents also object to the noise and pollution caused by the U.S. military, although many residents recognize the strategic value of having U.S. bases there because of what is widely seen as a growing threat from China.
Genta Koja, the governor of Okinawa – where the bulk of the 54,000 US troops in Japan are based – told Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at a meeting in Tokyo on Wednesday that there was an “urgent need to reduce base burdens” on the island, without providing details.
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“This time the theft and murder have greatly shocked the residents,” he said, demanding that a commission be convened quickly to discuss the issue.
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Earlier, Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson, commander of the III Marine Expeditionary Force, announced a “total ban on alcohol consumption on or off base” starting Wednesday.
Watson said the 48-hour period – described as “an operational pause” – would give commanders time to lead the training of all military personnel on “standards, discipline and our responsibilities as members of the Okinawan community.”
During this period, military operations will cease and “we will not allow freedom off base,” Watson said in a statement released to X Tuesday evening.
The lieutenant general, the top U.S. military official in Okinawa, also announced a 30-day “cooling off period” starting Friday.
“During this period, we will be implementing a curfew during which freedom will expire at 24:00 (midnight) for all hands, meaning you will need to be back on base in your assigned quarters or at your off-base home from midnight to 05:00 (5:00).”
Police said Sunday that Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, a 20-year-old U.S. Marine stationed at Futenma Air Base in Okinawa, was arrested on suspicion of killing Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in Naha, the island’s capital, on Saturday morning and stealing her wallet and backpack. He denied the allegations, according to Japanese media.
Before his meeting with the Japanese prime minister, Koja, the Okinawa governor, met with Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in Tokyo, where he said the affair had “caused deep anxiety” among Okinawa residents.
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“The prefectural government has repeatedly requested that the U.S. military take measures to prevent this from happening again every time an incident occurs, but the fact that such an incident occurs again forces us to conclude that the discipline within the U.S. forces and their human rights education are not working at all,” he told Koizumi.
Koizumi said he would “advance discussions with the United States on how to implement effective measures” to prevent such incidents from occurring.
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