U.S. forces in Okinawa order 48-hour base lockdown after Marine arrest

Okinawa governor presses Japan for stronger US military accountability

The U.S. military on Okinawa began a 48-hour operational pause Wednesday, ordering all service members on the southern Japanese island to remain at their bases and undergo mandatory training on standards and local relations following the weekend arrest of a Marine accused of killing a local woman. The lockdown, announced by Lt. Gen. Benjamin T. Watson in a letter to U.S. military personnel, started at 12 a.m. local time Wednesday and runs until 12 a.m. Friday.

Watson said service members will receive instruction on “standards, discipline and our responsibilities as members of the Okinawa community,” with a complete prohibition on alcohol consumption in place throughout the pause. Training topics will include liberty policy, enforcement mechanisms, alcohol awareness, Okinawan culture and alliance responsibilities, he said. Leaders will set “clear expectations” and reinforce “the standards that define our profession.”

“Serving on Okinawa comes with responsibility. We live, work and socialize alongside the people of Okinawa; their home is our home. Every interaction with our neighbors builds or undermines the trust that is essential to our team,” he added. “Accordingly, we will take time to think hard about discipline standards and our responsibilities. … Every member of this force must understand that individual conduct has consequences.”

The restrictions follow the Sunday arrest of Devin Jacob Ballard, a 20-year-old Marine stationed at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. Police allege Ballard strangled 39-year-old Anna Yagi to death between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Saturday at a hotel in Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture on the island’s southwestern coast. He is also accused of stealing her wallet and other belongings.

Public anger against the U.S. military and demands for accountability have grown since the arrest. Japan’s Foreign and Defense ministries have both lodged protests with their respective U.S. counterparts.

On Wednesday, Okinawa Gov. Genta Koja met with Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in Tokyo, where he called for a stronger response than warnings to U.S. troops and additional training. Koizumi said afterward, “We would like to move forward with discussions between Japan and the United States.”

Okinawa has repeatedly called for deeper structural changes governing the U.S. military presence on the island, including a fundamental revision of the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement and more effective measures to reduce the likelihood of crimes committed by U.S. service members.

The U.S. military has maintained a presence on Okinawa since World War II. The island currently hosts about 30,000 U.S. service members.