US forces in Okinawa face curfew after arrest of Marine | Today’s news
(Bloomberg) — U.S. forces in Okinawa suspended operations for 48 hours starting at noon Wednesday and imposed a month-long curfew on military personnel after a U.S. Marine was arrested on suspicion of murdering a Japanese woman.
US military personnel on Japan’s southernmost island of Okinawa will cease operations to undergo standards and discipline training and will be prohibited from leaving their bases to socialize or consume alcohol, the statement said.
“Serving in Okinawa comes with responsibility,” the statement said. “Every interaction with our neighbors builds or undermines the trust that is essential to our team. When that trust is broken, it affects the strength of our alliance and the security of this region.”
Following the operational pause, military personnel will be subject to a midnight curfew for 30 days, the statement added.
Local police arrested a 20-year-old US soldier on suspicion of killing 39-year-old Anna Yagi early Saturday morning at a hotel in the city of Naha. National broadcaster NHK said the soldier denied the charges, citing police investigators.
The incident threatens to reignite local opposition to the US military presence in Okinawa, home to around 30,000 US personnel.
The 1995 rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl by three U.S. soldiers sparked major protests, and serious crimes involving U.S. military personnel have since periodically fueled opposition to the U.S. military presence on the island.
Ahead of a meeting with Okinawa Governor Genta Koja on Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi offered her condolences to the bereaved family and said her government had lodged a strong protest in Washington. Japan, she said, demanded full cooperation in the investigation, strict disciplinary measures against US military personnel, thorough measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents and appropriate support for the victim’s family.
“As a result, the US side has announced new measures,” Takaichi said. “We understand that the US side intends to further examine its code of conduct going forward.”
Koja earlier met with Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in Tokyo. Before these meetings, Koja said, “This is the result of the failure of human rights training by the US military, despite repeated requests from the Okinawan side to ensure that similar cases are avoided.”
Koja became governor just last month after a campaign in which the long-running dispute over US bases took a backseat to other issues.
“I feel deeply frustrated that such a heinous and deplorable crime took place and an American soldier was arrested in connection with it,” Koizumi said. “I hope to encourage discussions between Japan and the US on what measures will be effective in preventing such cases in the future.”
(Adds a meeting between Okinawa Governor Kojou and Takaichi.)
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