All US military personnel stationed in Okinawa are being banned from drinking alcohol for 48 hours, and will then face a month-long overnight curfew. Described as a “Period of Training” for all personnel, the strict new rules have been imposed following the arrest of a Marine on suspicion of killing a Japanese woman at a hotel.
Stars and Stripes reports that three days ago, 20-year-old Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard was arrested on suspicion of killing and robbing 39-year-old local Anna Yagi at a hotel in the city of Naha. Cops say she died of asphyxiation after Ballard allegedly “pressed on her neck”. He denies the allegations.
Now Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson has brought the hammer down. He’s told personnel that alcohol consumption both on and off base is prohibited for 48 hours from noon Wednesday until noon Friday, that “off-base liberty” is suspended, and that service members must join “discussions on liberty policy, enforcement mechanisms, alcohol awareness, Okinawan culture, and alliance responsibilities.”
“Live up to the high standards that come with the uniform you wear”
After noon on Friday, the “Period of Reflection” will begin. This involves a midnight-to-5 am curfew for all personnel for 30 days. During those hours, they must remain either in their assigned quarters or in their off-base residences. To enforce this, the base will have “enhanced supervision at the gates across all installations on Okinawa.”
Lt. Gen Watson said that leaders will “conduct a more deliberate review of our liberty policies and procedures” and pointedly told personnel: “Liberty is a mission, and like any other mission it requires discipline, trust and teamwork to complete it successfully. Live up to the high standards that come with the uniform you wear.”
There have long been lingering tensions between the troops on Okinawa and the Japanese locals, but occasionally things have spilled over into outright conflict. For example, in 1995, three US servicemen abducted, beat, and raped a 12-year-old. Tens of thousands of outraged Okinawans took to the streets to demand justice.
A similarly furious response happened in 2016, when former Marine/civilian base worker Kenneth Franklin Shinzato abducted, raped, and murdered 20-year-old Rina Shimabukuro, again seeing protests of tens of thousands of people.
These are merely the highest-profile cases, though locals point to a low-level pattern of crimes, particularly sexual violence against local women. Anti-base sentiment is widespread in Okinawa, though the tactical importance of the base to the US military, and longstanding military agreements between the US and Japan mean these troops aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Published: Oct 7, 2026 11:10 am