Curfew Imposed on US Army Base After Marine Allegedly Killed Japanese Woman

An American military base in Okinawa, Japan, has introduced a nightly curfew after authorities arrested a U.S. Marine for allegedly robbing and murdering a local woman.

On Saturday, authorities arrested Devin Jacob Ballord, 20, from Ohio, and based in Okinawa. Police suspect him of robbing and killing 39-year-old Anna Yagi, at a hotel in Naha after local Japanese press, Kyodo News, said the woman’s body was found in a hotel room.

Ballord has denied the allegations, according to Japanese media cited by the Associated Press.

Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson, the Okinawa area coordinator for U.S. Forces Japan, said that the curfew—which began on Friday—will run from midnight until 5 a.m. local time and last for a month.

“Incidents like this demand we pause for reflection,” Watson said in a statement posted on social media on Tuesday. “Discipline is the individual and collective commitment to make sound decisions, look after one another, and always do what is right.”

What the Curfew Looks Like

U.S. military personnel in Okinawa will take part in a 48-hour operational pause from noon on Wednesday in which they will get “no off-base liberty, including a complete prohibition on alcohol consumption on or off base,” according to Watson.

“We live, work and socialize alongside the people of Okinawa; their home is our home,” he added. “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. Accordingly, we will take time to think hard about discipline, standards and our alliance responsibilities.”

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the alleged crime was a “brutal and heinous” robbery and murder and urged the U.S. to “enforce stricter discipline” of its personnel.

The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo told the BBC that it was cooperating with the Japanese government and local police.

“We are actively cooperating with Japanese authorities, in response to allegations of serious criminal actions by a Marine,” the Marine Corps said in a statement on social media, following Ballard’s arrest.

US Presence in Okinawa

The U.S. occupied Okinawa from the end of World War II until 1972.

It hosts almost 70% of the American military’s facilities and most of its 50,000 soldiers that are stationed in Japan.

Some people in Okinawa have opposed the United States’ presence on the island, however, citing concerns about noise, pollution and crime.

The number of criminal cases linked to the U.S. military in Okinawa rose to 101 last year from about 40 in 2020, according to the Associated Press, citing local police.

However, the U.S. presence has been deemed over time as valuable to ward off potential threats from China.