U.S. forces on Okinawa were banned from drinking alcohol for 48 hours Wednesday and imposed a 30-day curfew in the wake of the murder of a local woman allegedly committed by a U.S. Marine. The case has sparked outrage on the Japanese island, where any crime involving American forces has long inflamed criticism of the troops’ presence. Locals also object to the noise and pollution caused by the US military, although many residents recognize the strategic value of having US bases there due to what is widely seen as a growing threat from China. The governor of Okinawa, where most of the 54,000 U.S. military personnel in Japan are based, will meet with the country’s prime minister on Wednesday to express his concerns. Devin Jacob Ballard, a U.S. Marine who has been detained for the alleged robbery and murder of a woman on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, while being transferred to the Naha prosecutor’s office in Japan on Oct. 5, 2026. Kotaro Ueda/Kyodo News via AP Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson, commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, announced a “complete ban on alcohol consumption on or off base” starting on Wednesday. Watson said the 48-hour period, described as “an operational pause,” would give commanders time to direct training of all service members on “standards, discipline and our responsibilities as members of the Okinawan community.” During this period, military operations will cease and “we will not allow freedom off base,” Watson said in a statement released Tuesday night. The lieutenant general, the highest-ranking U.S. military figure on Okinawa, also announced a 30-day “reflection period” starting Friday. “During this period, we will implement a curfew where freedom will expire at 24:00 (midnight) for everyone, which means that they must return to the base in their assigned rooms or at their off-base address from midnight until 05:00 (5 am).” Police said Sunday that Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, a 20-year-old U.S. Marine stationed at Futenma Air Station on Okinawa, was arrested on suspicion of killing Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in Naha, the island’s capital, early Saturday and stealing her wallet and backpack. He has denied the allegations, according to Japanese media. On Wednesday, Okinawa Governor Genta Koja met with Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in Tokyo, where he said the case had “caused deep anxiety” among Okinawan residents. He was scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi later on Wednesday. Okinawa Governor Genta Koja, left, and Japan’s Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi before their meeting at the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo on Oct. 7, 2026. Kyodo News via AP “The prefectural government has repeatedly demanded that the U.S. military take measures to prevent a repeat occurrence every time an incident occurs, but the fact that such an incident has occurred again forces us to conclude that discipline within the U.S. forces and their education in human rights are not working at all,” Koizumi said. Koizumi said he would “advance discussions with the United States on how to implement effective measures” to prevent such incidents from occurring. More from CBS News Go deeper with The Free Press in:
