US forces in Japan’s southern prefecture of Okinawa have been ordered a 48-hour halt to operations and a month-long nighttime curfew following the arrest of a Marine on suspicion of murder and robbery.
US Marine Corps Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, aged 20, allegedly killed a 39-year-old local woman at a hotel in Naha City on Saturday and took her wallet and other belongings.
Ballard, who is stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, was arrested on Sunday.
Lieutenant General Benjamin Watson, Okinawa Area Coordinator and commander of the Third Marine Expeditionary Force, issued a notice titled “Standards and Discipline” late Tuesday and posted it on social media.
He instructed all US service personnel in Okinawa to halt unit operations for 48 hours from noon on Wednesday. Off-base free activity and alcohol consumption will be banned during this period.
In addition, service personnel will be required to stay at home from midnight to 5:00 a.m. for 30 days starting on Friday.
Okinawa Governor Koja Genta summoned Watson and others to the prefectural government office on Monday to convey his outrage over the incident and demand that US forces draw up drastic, effective measures.
Japan to continue talks with US on preventive measures
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara Minoru has said that incidents by US military personnel cause great concern for local communities and should never happen.
At Wednesday’s news conference, Kihara referred to the US military’s announcement that all service personnel in Okinawa will be subject to a 48-hour halt in unit operations and a month-long nighttime curfew.
He said it is his understanding that this indicates the US forces take the incident seriously and are moving quickly to tighten discipline and prevent a recurrence.
Kihara said he is aware that the US side will further review its action guidelines, and expressed hope for continued talks on how to put effective measures in place to prevent another incident.