US military in Okinawa banned from leaving base after Marine arrest

US troops on the Japanese island of Okinawa have suspended all operations for two days. They are banned from leaving the base and training outside after a Marine was arrested on suspicion of killing a local woman.

Lt. Gen. J. Benjamin Watson, commander of the Marine Corps III Expeditionary Force, said on social media that such episodes “require us to pause for thought” and that service on the Japanese island is “combined with responsibility.”.

“Every interaction with our neighbours either strengthens or undermines the trust that is so important to our team. When that trust is eroded, it affects the strength of our alliance and the security of the region. Accordingly, we will need time to think carefully about discipline, standards and our responsibilities in the alliance.

Okinawa police detained 20-year-old American serviceman Devin Ballard. According to investigators, on October 3, at a hotel in Naha, he killed a 39-year-old Japanese citizen, and then stole her purse and backpack. The American pleaded not guilty. Japanese officials condemned the crime. On October 4, more than 160 people in Naha demanded the withdrawal of US military bases from the island.

Okinawa was under American occupation from World War II until 1972. Today, the island hosts 70% of U.S. military installations in Japan and most of the 50,000 U.S. troops based in the country. According to the prefecture police, the number of such criminal cases involving U.S. service members rose to 101 in 2025 from about 40 in 2020.

Ernest Philippowski