TOKYO, Oct. 7– The U.S. military in Japan’s southern prefecture of Okinawa will impose a curfew from midnight to 5 a.m. for one month starting Friday following the arrest of a Marine on suspicion of robbing and murdering a local woman, its Okinawa area coordinator has said.
All U.S. military personnel in Okinawa will also observe a 48-hour operational pause from noon Wednesday, during which there will be “no off-base liberty, including a complete prohibition of alcohol consumption on or off base,” Okinawa area coordinator of U.S. Forces Japan Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson said Tuesday.
The announcement came after local police arrested Devin Ballard, a 20-year-old U.S. Marine stationed in Okinawa, on suspicion of robbing and murdering Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in Naha on Saturday.
The case has sparked outrage in Okinawa. Okinawa Governor Genta Koja visited Tokyo on Wednesday for the first time since his election last month. During a meeting at the Defense Ministry, Koja urged Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi to take “fundamental and effective” measures following the alleged robbery and murder.
The Japanese government has lodged a strong protest with the United States and urged it to fully cooperate with the investigation and enforce strict discipline among its military personnel. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has called the case a “heinous crime.”
Crimes involving U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan, including serious offenses such as murder, rape and robbery, have long been a source of deep public concern.
Official statistics show that Okinawa prefectural police recorded 101 criminal cases involving U.S. military personnel, civilian employees and their family members in 2025, marking the first time the annual figure had exceeded 100 since 2003. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
