All American military personnel stationed on Okinawa face an immediate alcohol ban and month-long curfew following the alleged murder of a Japanese woman by a US Marine.

The restrictions, announced on Wednesday by Lieutenant General Benjamin T. Watson, come after police arrested a Marine on suspicion of killing a woman (39) at a hotel in Naha city and stealing her wallet.

Watson, who serves as Okinawa area coordinator and commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force, ordered a complete ban on alcohol consumption both on and off base for 48 hours starting Wednesday.

Operational pause for discipline training

The two-day period will function as an “operational pause” to allow commanders time to conduct training with all service members on standards, discipline and responsibilities within the Okinawan community, Watson said in a statement posted on X late Tuesday.

During this time, operations will stop and service members cannot leave base. “We will not allow off-base liberty,” Watson said.

From Friday, a 30-day “period of reflection” begins with a curfew requiring all personnel to return to base quarters or off-base homes between midnight and 05:00.

Woman allegedly choked to death

Police said on Sunday they arrested the Marine after the woman’s death at the hotel. Local media reported she was choked to death. The Marine has denied the allegations.

The case has sparked anger in Japan, where crimes involving US forces regularly fuel criticism of the American military presence. Around 54 000 US military personnel are stationed in Japan, with most based on Okinawa.

Governor voices deep anxiety

Okinawa governor Genta Koja met Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in Tokyo on Wednesday, saying the case had “caused deep anxiety” among residents. He was scheduled to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi later on Wednesday.

“The prefectural government has repeatedly demanded that the US military take measures to prevent a recurrence every time an incident occurs, but the fact that such an incident has happened again forces us to conclude that discipline within the US forces and their human rights education are not functioning at all,” Koja told Koizumi.

Koizumi said he would “advance discussions with the United States on how to implement effective measures” to prevent future incidents.

History of incidents

Crimes by US personnel have strained relations between the security allies for years.

Last year, a Japanese court sentenced a US Marine to seven years in prison for choking and attempting to rape a woman in her twenties.

In 2017, a former US Marine and civilian military base worker received a life sentence for raping and murdering a local woman in Okinawa.

That same year, US Forces Japan banned all personnel from drinking alcohol after an intoxicated Marine crashed his vehicle into a mini-truck, killing the local driver (61).

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