US troops on Okinawa face month-long curfew after Marine suspected of killing local woman

Naha, Japan. US troops stationed on Okinawa have been placed under a month-long curfew and banned from drinking alcohol while undergoing discipline training after a Marine was alleged to have killed and robbed a local woman. All US military operations on Okinawa will also be paused for 48 hours for training on standards and discipline.

Marine denies allegations

Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, is suspected of killing Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in Naha, the capital of Japan’s southernmost prefecture, on Saturday and taking her wallet and backpack. Police said Ballard denied the allegations.

Yagi died of asphyxiation after Ballard allegedly pressed on her neck, police told the Stars and Stripes newspaper.

Hotel staff found Yagi unconscious in her room in the early hours of Saturday after she failed to check out. Local media reported that around 200 officers took part in a search for a man recorded on CCTV entering the hotel with her.

Military orders discipline measures

Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson ordered the restrictions in a statement on Tuesday, warning that damage to trust with local communities could affect the US-Japan alliance and regional security.

“Every interaction with our neighbors 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,” Watson said.

The case is the latest in a series of incidents spanning years that have fuelled unease over the large US troop presence on the island chain near Taiwan and China. US officials have warned that such incidents could undermine ties vital to security in East Asia.

Japan protests to the United States

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described Saturday’s killing as “extremely brutal and heinous.” She said she had strongly protested to the US and demanded measures to prevent similar incidents.

At a meeting with Okinawa Governor Genta Koja in Tokyo, Takaichi said Japan and the US would continue consultations on effective prevention measures. The incident prompted protests in Naha and Tokyo.

Japan hosts the world’s largest overseas contingent of US forces. Most of the 18,000 Marines based in Japan are stationed in Okinawa, which the US held from the end of World War Two until 1972.