TOKYO — Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki urged the Japanese central government on Wednesday to enforce stricter discipline among U.S. service members stationed on the southern island, following the arrest of a Marine suspected of robbing and killing a local woman.
During his first visit to Tokyo since assuming office last week, Tamaki conveyed the prefecture’s outrage to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. He called for renewed efforts to reduce the heavy burden of hosting U.S. military bases on the island.
“Okinawa has requested preventive measures every time similar crimes have occurred in the past, and now we face this tragedy again,” Tamaki told Kishida during a meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office attended by a throng of reporters.
“I must say that past disciplinary measures and human rights education implemented by the U.S. military have not worked at all,” Tamaki added.
Residents of Okinawa have long opposed the concentrated U.S. military presence, citing noise, pollution, and crime, although strategic concerns regarding China’s growing assertiveness have shifted some perspectives on the alliance’s value.
Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, a 20-year-old from Ohio assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of strangling 39-year-old Anna Yagi at a hotel and stealing her wallet and backpack. Japanese media report that he has denied the allegations.
Kishida condemned the “heinous crime” and said he shared the public’s outrage. Referencing new disciplinary measures announced by the U.S. military on Tuesday, the prime minister said he expected the American government to take further concrete steps.
Japan and the U.S. will discuss “how to implement preventive measures that are effective,” Kishida said.
Hours earlier, U.S. forces in Okinawa announced a 48-hour pause of all military operations for training through Friday noon, alongside restrictions confining troops to base and a ban on alcohol consumption.
Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson, commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, wrote in a letter posted Tuesday on X that such episodes “demand we pause for reflection” and that serving on the Japanese island “comes with responsibility.”
Following the two-day training stand-down, U.S. troops on Okinawa will face a midnight-to-5 a.m. curfew for 30 days, Watson said.
Tamaki said he appreciated the prompt response from both the Japanese and U.S. governments as a sign they are taking the case seriously. However, he stressed the need to review the details of the ongoing training and requested Japanese involvement to ensure U.S. disciplinary measures are effective.
More than 50,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Japan under a bilateral security agreement, with the majority based on Okinawa.
Earlier Monday, Tamaki made similar requests during meetings with Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya.