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2w ago

US Forces in Okinawa Halt Off‑Base Liberty After Marine Arrest

Commanders ordered training, a 48-hour alcohol ban and a 30-day midnight curfew to reinforce standards, signal cooperation with Japanese investigators.

FILE - U.S. MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft are parked at the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, on the main island of the Okinawa archipelago, southern Japan, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)
A demonstrator holds a placard during a protest outside the Prime Minister's office following the killing of a Japanese woman in Okinawa, for which a US Marine is a suspect, in Tokyo, Japan, October 5, 2026. The placard reads: "No to sexual violence". REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
Image
A woman holds up a placard reading 'US military out' during a protest against the killing of a woman in Okinawa

Overview

  • Okinawa prefectural police arrested Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, on Saturday on suspicion of strangling 39-year-old Anna Yagi in a Naha hotel and stealing her wallet and backpack.
  • Lt. Gen. Benjamin T. Watson ordered a 48-hour operational pause that bans alcohol and off-base liberty, followed by a 30-day midnight-to-5 a.m. curfew and enhanced base supervision for personnel.
  • Japanese police cited security camera footage and matching tattoos and appearance as evidence leading to the arrest, while media reports say Ballard has denied the allegations.
  • Tokyo lodged a formal protest, Okinawa’s governor pressed national leaders for stronger preventive steps, and protests in Naha and Tokyo have expressed deep local anger and fear.
  • The case has revived long-standing Okinawan grievances over the heavy US base presence and could complicate local base politics and Japan–US alliance management given Okinawa’s strategic role near Taiwan and China.