Lieutenant General Benjamin Watson ordered a month-long curfew and a total alcohol ban for US troops stationed in Okinawa on Tuesday. The measure followed the alleged murder of Anna Yagi, a 39-year-old local woman, by 20-year-old Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard in Naha on Saturday. All military operations in the prefecture paused for 48 hours while personnel underwent mandatory discipline training.
Police told the Stars and Stripes that Yagi died of asphyxiation after Ballard allegedly pressed her neck. He is also suspected of robbing her of her wallet and backpack. Ballard denied the allegations, but CCTV footage placed him in the hotel with the victim. Around 200 officers participated in the search for the Marine.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the killing as "extremely brutal and heinous" and stated she had lodged a strong protest with Washington. Okinawa Governor Genta Koja is set to meet Takaichi on Wednesday to strategize the government's response. The case has ignited fresh anger among residents who have long resented the presence of the 18,000 Marines on the island.
This incident risks derailing Takaichi’s political push to move the Futenma air base to the remote Henoko facility. Opponents, emboldened by the crime, are demanding the complete withdrawal of US forces from Okinawa. The island sits just 100 km from Taiwan, a strategic chokepoint that Tokyo and Washington view as essential for deterring Chinese aggression. Watson warned that such incidents "undermine the trust that is essential to our team" and threaten regional security stability.