Okinawa Governor Genta Koja on Wednesday asked Japan’s central government to step up efforts to ensure effective discipline among US service members on the southern island after a US Marine was arrested on accusations that he robbed and murdered a local woman.
Meeting Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in Tokyo for the first time since taking office last month, Koja also sought further efforts to reduce the burden of hosting US military bases on Okinawa, where public opposition to the heavy American military presence has continued for years.
The case centres on Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, a 20-year-old Ohio native attached to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. He was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of strangling 39-year-old Anna Yagi at a hotel and stealing her wallet and backpack. According to Japanese media, he has denied the allegations.
As they met in the minister’s office in front of reporters and photographers, Koja told Koizumi, “Okinawa has requested preventive measures every time similar crimes were repeated in past, and now we have this case again.” He added, “I must say past disciplinary measures and human rights education implemented by the US military have not worked at all.”
Koizumi said he was aware of Okinawa’s concerns and that the government would work with the US side to discuss effective preventive measures. Hours earlier, the US military in Okinawa announced a 48-hour pause in all military operations for training until noon on Friday. It also restricted troops from leaving their bases and banned alcohol consumption.
Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson, commander of the III Marine Expeditionary Force, said in a letter posted on X on Tuesday that episodes like these “demand we pause for reflection” and that serving on the Japanese island “comes with responsibility”. He said US troops on Okinawa would also be under a curfew from midnight to 5 am for 30 days after the two-day training period.
Okinawa has long complained about noise, pollution and crime linked to American bases, though some residents have come to recognise their strategic value amid what is widely seen as a growing threat from China. A majority of the more than 50,000 US troops stationed in Japan under the bilateral security agreement are based on the island. Koja was also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi later in the day to press the same demands.
With PTI Inputs
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AloJapan.com