TOKYO, Japan: American troops stationed on Japan’s Okinawa island have been positioned beneath a month-long curfew and banned from ingesting alcohol following the alleged homicide and theft of an area lady by a U.S. Marine.
Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, is suspected of killing 39-year-old Anna Yagi in a resort in Naha, the capital of Okinawa prefecture, on October 3. He can be accused of taking her pockets and backpack. Police mentioned Ballard denied the allegations.
The case has renewed long-standing considerations in Okinawa in regards to the giant U.S. navy presence on the island, which is near Taiwan and China. A collection of incidents involving U.S. personnel has induced tensions with native residents and raised considerations in regards to the impression on Japan-U.S. relations.
U.S. navy authorities ordered all troops on Okinawa to comply with a curfew for one month and banned them from ingesting alcohol throughout the interval.
All U.S. navy operations on the island may even be suspended for 48 hours whereas troops obtain coaching on self-discipline and requirements.
Lieutenant General Benjamin Watson mentioned the measures had been wanted to guard belief between U.S. forces and native communities.
“Every interaction with our neighbors either builds or undermines the trust that is essential to our team,” Watson mentioned.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the killing as extraordinarily brutal and critical. She mentioned Japan had strongly protested to the United States and demanded steps to stop comparable incidents.
Police informed the Stars and Stripes newspaper that Yagi died from asphyxiation after Ballard allegedly pressed on her neck.
Hotel workers discovered Yagi unconscious in her room early on October 3 after she failed to take a look at. Local media reported that about 200 law enforcement officials took half within the seek for Ballard after CCTV footage confirmed him coming into the resort with Yagi.
The killing has led to protests in Naha and Tokyo. Okinawa hosts a big a part of the U.S. navy presence in Japan. Most of the roughly 18,000 U.S. Marines primarily based in Japan are stationed there.
The newest killing might create additional difficulties for Takaichi’s plan to maneuver some U.S. Marines from the crowded Futenma air base to a much less populated facility at Henoko. Opponents of the plan need the U.S. navy presence faraway from Okinawa altogether.
Okinawa is about 100 kilometers from Taiwan at its closest level. Japan and the United States think about the island strategically essential for deterring potential Chinese navy motion.