U.S. forces in southern Japan will be placed under curfew and come under "enhanced supervision" after the arrest of a U.S. Marine on suspicion of murder and robbery sparked fresh outrage and opposition to U.S. military presence in the East Asian country. Police in Okinawa said 20-year-old Devin Jacob Ballard, who was stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, was arrested in connection with the death of a 39-year-old local woman at a hotel in the city of Naha on Saturday.
He is also suspected of stealing her wallet and bag. Ballard denied the allegations, Japanese media reported. U.S. forces must be in their assigned living quarters on base or in their homes outside military sites between midnight and 5 a.m. local time for 30 days, starting on Friday, Lieutenant General Benjamin Watson, the commander of the United States' III Marine Expeditionary Force, said in a statement made public on Tuesday.
Watson said U.S. forces would observe a "Period of Reflection" to reiterate that "liberty is a privilege and a collective responsibility." U.S. personnel will also review how much freedom U.S. service members have when deployed to Okinawa. "Incidents like this demand we pause for reflection," Watson said. This is a breaking story and will be updated.
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