The fallout is spreading from yet another murder of a local woman in Okinawa by a U.S. service member.

The central government of Japan, which has been seeking to strengthen ties with Okinawa Prefecture, is on high alert over the possibility that public sentiment against U.S. military bases may intensify.

According to Japanese media reports on October 6, the Okinawa Prefectural Police arrested Private First Class Devin Jacob Ballard (20), a U.S. Marine stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, on October 4 on suspicion of robbery and murder regarding the discovery of a woman in her 30s dead at a hotel in Naha.

This marks another violent crime committed by a U.S. service member in Okinawa, where resentment toward U.S. military bases runs deep.

In Okinawa, demands for the relocation of U.S. bases surged after an incident in 1995 where three U.S. service members kidnapped and raped an elementary school girl.

That incident led to the decision to return Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, which is located in a densely populated city center and had been called the most dangerous airfield in the world.

However, conflict between the local and central governments has persisted as the Japanese government subsequently pushed to relocate the Futenma base to Henoko in Nago, Okinawa, rather than outside the prefecture.

Crimes involving U.S. military personnel and civilian employees have continued unabated since then.

In 2016, a U.S. civilian base employee in his 30s raped, murdered, and abandoned the body of a 20-year-old female office worker. In November of the following year, a U.S. Marine driving under the influence in the early morning hours struck and killed a Japanese man in his 60s.

Last year, the number of criminal offenses for which U.S. military personnel and civilian employees were apprehended in Okinawa reached a record high of 101 cases.

Although Okinawa accounts for only about 0.6% of Japan's total land area, approximately 70% of the facilities exclusively used by the U.S. Forces Japan are concentrated there.

The Japanese government reacted swiftly, remaining on edge over the impact this incident will have on anti-base sentiment in Okinawa.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi posted on X (formerly Twitter) regarding the arrest of the Marine, writing, "It is extremely regrettable that such a brutal and heinous incident has occurred. We have lodged a strong protest with the U.S. side and strongly demanded the prevention of recurrence of such incidents and accidents."

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters that the Ministry of Defense had lodged a protest with the U.S. side, and Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Takehiro Funakoshi also called U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass to lodge a protest.

This incident occurred shortly after the September 13 election, in which Kenta Koza, backed by a coalition of conservative parties including the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), defeated incumbent progressive Governor Denny Tamaki.

It is expected to deal a blow to the Takaichi administration, which had planned to accelerate base relocation efforts following the election results.

The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that voices expressing concern persist within the LDP, quoting an LDP member of the House of Representatives who described the timing as "the worst" given that it occurred while the government was working to strengthen ties with Okinawa Prefecture.

Meanwhile, a rally condemning the incident was held on the night of October 5 in front of the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo.

According to the Tokyo Shimbun, a female office worker in her 30s who participated in the rally criticized the situation, stating, "Political failures, such as Okinawa's excessive burden of bases, have been shifted onto women as victims." A civil society activist pointed out, "This is an incident that happened because U.S. military bases are concentrated in Okinawa."

Regarding the Japanese government's response, Ryukyu University Professor Akiko Yamamoto stated, "Protests should not end as a political show. Structural issues, such as the concentration of bases in Okinawa and the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement, must be resolved."

(Photo: Yonhap News)