TOKYO, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Okinawa prefectural assembly on Friday adopted a protest resolution and an opinion statement calling for a fundamental review of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) following the alleged murder of a local woman by a U.S. Marine in the southern Japanese prefecture, local media reported.
The protest resolution urged the U.S. military to take measures to prevent similar incidents, while the opinion statement called on the Japanese government to take action toward a fundamental review of the agreement, Kyodo News reported.
Devin Jacob Ballard, a 20-year-old U.S. Marine stationed in Okinawa, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of robbing and murdering Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in the prefectural capital of Naha early Saturday, according to police. He has denied the allegations.
Following the arrest, the U.S. military in Okinawa suspended operations for 48 hours from Wednesday noon and imposed a curfew from midnight to 5 a.m. for 30 days starting Friday.
The assembly adopted a similar protest resolution and opinion statement in 2024 after a series of sexual assault cases involving U.S. servicemen in Okinawa came to light.
Crimes involving U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan, including serious offenses such as murder, rape and robbery, have long been a source of public concern. Okinawa was under U.S. administration from 1945 to 1972 following Japan's defeat in World War II and continues to host the majority of facilities in Japan exclusively used by U.S. forces. ■
