US forces face curfew, alcohol ban in Japan’s Okinawa after murder case
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A demonstrator holds a “no to sexual violence” placard in protest, following the killing of a Japanese woman in Okinawa.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- US forces in Okinawa face a month-long curfew and alcohol ban after Marine Lance Corporal Devin Ballard was accused of murdering and robbing local woman Anna Yagi.
- Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the killing “extremely brutal and heinous” and demanded measures to stop future incidents.
- The case has sparked protests and could worsen tensions over the US troop presence in Okinawa, which is seen as vital for regional security.
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TOKYO – US soldiers stationed on Japan's Okinawa have been given a month-long curfew and are banned from drinking alcohol while they undergo discipline training, after a marine was alleged to have murdered and robbed a local woman.
Devin Ballard, 20, is suspected of killing Anna Yagi, 39, in a hotel in Naha, the capital of the southernmost prefecture, on Oct 3 and taking her wallet and backpack. Ballard has denied the allegations, police said.
The case is the latest in a string of incidents stretching back years that have fuelled unease over US troop presence on the island chain near Taiwan and China, with US officials warning it could undermine ties vital to security in East Asia.
“Every interaction with our neighbours either builds or undermines the trust that is essential to our team. When that trust is damaged, it affects the strength of our alliance and the security of this region,” Lieutenant-General Benjamin Watson said in a statement on Oct 6 ordering the measures.
US military operations on Okinawa will be paused for 48 hours as troops undergo training on standards and discipline, he added.
‘Brutal and heinous’
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the Oct 3 killing “extremely brutal and heinous”. She said she had strongly protested to the US and demanded measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
Yagi died of asphyxiation after Ballard allegedly “pressed on her neck”, the police told the Stars and Stripes newspaper. Hotel staff found the woman unconscious in her room in the early hours of Oct 3 after she had failed to check out.
Around 200 officers were involved in a search for a man earlier caught on CCTV entering the hotel with the victim, local media reported.
In a meeting with Okinawa Governor Genta Koja in Tokyo, Takaichi said Japan and the US would continue to consult on effective measures to prevent such incidents from occurring.
The incident has sparked protests in Naha and Tokyo.
Japan hosts the largest overseas contingent of US forces globally.
Most of the 18,000 Japan-based marines are stationed in Okinawa, which the US held from the end of World War II until 1972. That presence has repeatedly stirred resentment among residents over issues such as noise, aircraft crashes and the conduct of personnel.
The 1995 rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan by three US servicemen sparked mass demonstrations.
The Oct 3 killing could complicate Takaichi's efforts to relocate some marines from the busy Futenma air base to a more remote facility in Henoko. Opponents want the troops moved out of the prefecture.
Okinawa, which is 100km from Taiwan at the closest point, is viewed by Tokyo and Washington as key in deterring potential military aggression from China. REUTERS