Authored by Chris Summers via The Epoch Times,
The U.S. military in Okinawa, Japan, is pausing operations for 48 hours, imposing a month-long curfew, and conducting training after a Marine was arrested on suspicion of robbing and murdering a Japanese woman.
MV-22 Osprey aircraft sit on a runway at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, Okinawa prefecture, Japan, on May 31, 2018. Carl Court/Getty ImagesLance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, stationed at Futenma Air Station, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of killing Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in Naha on Saturday. He was also suspected of taking her wallet and backpack. Ballard denied the allegations, police said.
Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson, commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, said in an Oct. 6 statement posted on X that such incidents demand a pause for reflection.
"Accordingly, we will take time to think hard about discipline, standards and our alliance responsibilities," he said.
Police say Yagi died from suffocation caused by pressure on the neck, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK. It was not immediately clear whether Ballard had legal representatives who could comment on his behalf.
The case is the latest in a string of incidents stretching back decades that have fueled unease over the U.S. troop pres
