US Marines stationed in Okinawa have been placed under a month-long curfew and banned from consuming alcohol as part of disciplinary measures following the alleged murder and robbery of a local woman.
Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, is suspected of killing 39-year-old Anna Yagi at a hotel in Naha, the capital of Okinawa, on Saturday and taking her wallet and backpack. Ballard has denied the allegations, according to police.
The measures were ordered by Lt Gen Benjamin Watson, who said every interaction between US forces and local residents could either strengthen or undermine the trust considered essential to the US-Japan alliance.
All US military operations in Okinawa will also be suspended for 48 hours while personnel undergo training on standards and discipline, Watson said.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi condemned the killing as “extremely brutal and heinous” and said Japan had strongly protested to the United States while demanding measures to prevent similar incidents.
Police told Stars and Stripes that Yagi died from asphyxiation after Ballard allegedly pressed on her neck. Hotel staff reportedly found her unconscious in her room after she failed to check out.
Around 200 police officers were involved in the search for Ballard, who had earlier been captured on CCTV entering the hotel with Yagi, according to local media.
The case has renewed concerns over the large US military presence in Okinawa, where most of the roughly 18,000 US Marines stationed in Japan are based. The US military presence has long been a source of tension among residents over issues including noise, aircraft accidents and alleged misconduct by personnel.
The incident has also sparked protests in Naha and Tokyo and could complicate efforts to relocate some Marines from the Futenma air base to a new facility at Henoko, amid opposition from those calling for US troops to be removed from Okinawa.
Okinawa Governor Genta Koja is scheduled to meet Takaichi to discuss the government’s response to the incident.
Okinawa’s strategic location, about 100km from Taiwan at its closest point, makes the island chain important to Japan and the United States in their efforts to deter potential military aggression from China.
