US military in Japan’s Okinawa imposes night curfew after marine’s arrest over murder

The US military in Okinawa will impose a curfew from midnight to 5am for a month starting Friday following the arrest of a marine on suspicion of robbing and murdering a local woman, its regional coordinator said on Tuesday.

All US military personnel on Okinawa will also observe a 48-hour operational pause from noon on Wednesday, during which there will be “no off-base liberty, including a complete prohibition of alcohol consumption on or off base”, said Lieutenant General Benjamin Watson, Okinawa area coordinator of US Forces Japan.

“Incidents like this demand we pause for reflection,” Watson said of the murder case. “Discipline is the individual and collective commitment to make sound decisions, look after one another, and always do what is right.”

The announcement came after local police arrested Devin Ballard, a 20-year-old US marine stationed in the southern island prefecture, on suspicion of robbing and murdering Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in Naha on Saturday.

The case sparked outrage in Okinawa, which hosts the bulk of US military installations in Japan.

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US Marine arrested on suspicion of murdering a Japanese woman

Meanwhile on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said that Japan will discuss with the United States “effective” measures to prevent crimes by US military personnel.

“We intend to discuss as soon as possible with the US side how to proceed with consultations on effective measures,” Motegi told a press conference.

Following the incident, Okinawa Governor Genta Koja called for a review of the bilateral Status of Forces Agreement, under which US military authorities retain custody of US military personnel they arrest for suspected off-duty crimes while those arrested by Japanese authorities remain in Japanese custody.

In response to a question about whether the restriction on Japan’s judicial power under the agreement is a factor behind repeated occurrences of crimes and accidents caused by US military personnel, Motegi said the government will “continuously examine” the nature of the agreement.