Kadena Alcohol Ban Hits Junior US Troops After Okinawa Killing

Kadena Air Base in Okinawa has banned alcohol for its most junior enlisted US troops and ordered them back on base two hours earlier, as the US military tightens restrictions after a Marine was arrested over the killing of a local woman, Stars and Stripes reported.

The Kadena alcohol ban took effect on Thursday (Oct 22) and applies to US military personnel in grades E-1 to E-4 assigned or attached to the base.

Kadena Alcohol Ban and 10pm Curfew

Under the order signed by Brigadier General John Gallemore, commander of the 18th Wing, base exchange stores have stopped selling alcohol to junior troops, and alcohol is banned in all dormitories. Commanders may also carry out unannounced health and welfare inspections.

Affected personnel must stay on base between 10pm and 5am, stricter than the islandwide midnight-to-5am curfew already in force for all US personnel on Okinawa. The measures will run until Nov 8, the end of a month-long “Period of Reflection” ordered by Lieutenant General Benjamin Watson, commander of the III Marine Expeditionary Force.

The wing said in an email that it continually reviews measures to reinforce good order and discipline. An official with Okinawa’s prefectural government said it was not informed in advance.

Marine Held Over Naha Killing

The restrictions follow the Oct 4 arrest of Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, a combat engineer stationed at Futenma. Okinawa police arrested him on suspicion of robbery and murder over the death of a 39-year-old woman at a hotel in Naha’s Wakasa district on Oct 3.

Police said the woman died of asphyxiation after the suspect allegedly pressed on her neck, and that her wallet and backpack were taken. Ballard has denied the allegations. The case was referred to the Naha Public Prosecutors Office on Oct 5, but formal charges had not been announced as of Friday (Oct 23).

The case has triggered protests from Japanese and Okinawan officials. Okinawa Governor Genta Koja told Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that the killing had “hugely shocked local residents” and urged a reduction in the burden of US bases. Takaichi later questioned at a parliamentary budget committee meeting whether the US military’s curfew would be enough to prevent further incidents.

Prosecutors in Naha must decide whether to indict Ballard, while the US restrictions on Okinawa remain in place at least until early November.

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