Politics
Dozens of protesters gathered outside Japan’s Foreign Ministry in Tokyo on Thursday following the arrest of a U.S. Marine accused of killing a woman in the southern prefecture of Okinawa.
Dozens of protesters gathered outside Japan’s Foreign Ministry in Tokyo on Thursday following the arrest of a U.S. Marine accused of killing a woman in the southern prefecture of Okinawa. Many demonstrators carried banners condemning crimes committed by U.S. military personnel. The case is the latest in a series of incidents spanning several decades that have fueled public unease over the large U.S. military presence on islands near Taiwan and China. U.S. officials have warned that such incidents could damage relations that are important to security in East Asia. However, public reaction to the killing of Anna Yagi has been more limited than the mass protests that followed the rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl by three U.S. servicemen in 1995.
According to police, 20-year-old Lance Corporal Devon Jacob Ballard is suspected of killing 39-year-old Yagi at a hotel in Naha, the capital of Okinawa, over the previous weekend, and taking her wallet and bag. Ballard has denied the allegations. Organizers of Thursday’s protest used loudspeakers to speak out against sexual assaults and other misconduct by U.S. military personnel, demanding that the government take responsibility. Other demonstrators in the crowd expressed their agreement by sounding noisemakers.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the killing as extremely brutal and heinous. Tokyo has said it lodged a strong protest with the United States and called for measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again. Japan hosts the largest overseas deployment of U.S. forces in the world. Most of the approximately 18,000 U.S. Marines stationed in Japan are based in Okinawa, which was under U.S. administration from the end of World War II until 1972. The military presence has repeatedly sparked resentment among local residents over issues including noise, aircraft accidents and the conduct of service members.
On Wednesday, the U.S. military introduced a 48-hour pause in military activities and a ban on alcohol consumption. Service members are also undergoing training focused on standards and discipline. In addition, they have been placed under a month-long curfew intended to provide a period for reflection.
