Okinawa Governor Presses Japan for Stronger US Military Discipline After Murder Arrest

Anger grows after US Marine Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, arrested in strangling death of 39-year-old Anna Yagi.

Published On 7 Oct 20267 Oct 2026

Okinawa Governor Genta Koja has demanded stronger action from Japan’s central government to ensure discipline among US service members on the island, following the arrest of a Marine accused of robbing and killing a local woman.

Koja, in Tokyo for his first trip since taking office a week ago, expressed Okinawa’s outrage to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Wednesday, urging her government to ease the burden of hosting US bases.

“We have requested preventive measures each time similar crimes recur, and now it has happened again,” Koja told Takaichi at the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday.

“I must say past disciplinary measures and human rights education implemented by the US military have not worked at all,” Koja said.

People in Okinawa have long opposed the heavy US military presence on the island and complained about noise, pollution and crime related to bases used by US forces.

Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of strangling Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel and stealing her wallet and backpack. He has denied the allegations, according to Japanese media.

The US military in Okinawa earlier announced a 48-hour pause of all military operations for training through Friday, as well as restrictions on the ability of troops to leave their base and a ban on the consumption of alcohol.

Benjamin T Watson, the Okinawa area coordinator and commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force, said that the 48-hour period would give commanders the time to lead training with all service members on “standards, discipline, and our responsibilities as members of the Okinawan community”.

The lieutenant general, the most senior US military figure on Okinawa, also announced a 30-day “period of reflection” beginning Friday.

“During this period, we will implement a curfew in which liberty will expire at 2400 for all hands, meaning you must be back on base in your assigned quarters or at your off-base domicile from midnight to 0500,” Watson said.

Takaichi said she regretted the “heinous crime” and shared the outrage.

Noting the new disciplinary measures announced by the US military, Takaichi said she expected the US government to take subsequent steps.

Japan and the US will discuss “how to implement preventive measures that are effective”, she said.

The presence of US troops in Okinawa has repeatedly stirred resentment among residents over issues such as noise, aircraft crashes and the conduct of personnel.

Last year, a Japanese court sentenced a US Marine convicted of choking and attempting to rape a woman in her 20s to seven years in prison.

In 2017, a former US Marine and civilian military base worker was sentenced to life in prison for the rape and murder of a local woman in Okinawa.

The same year, US Forces Japan banned all personnel from consuming alcohol after an intoxicated US Marine crashed his vehicle into a mini-truck, killing its 61-year-old local driver.

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