Protesters held placards denouncing crimes and violence involving US military personnel, arguing that the continued presence of American forces in Okinawa has placed local residents’ safety at risk.
The demonstration followed the October 3 killing of 39-year-old Anna Yagi at a hotel in Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture.
Japanese police arrested Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, a US Marine stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, on October 4 on suspicion of robbery and murder.
Japanese prosecutors subsequently indicted Ballard on robbery and murder charges on October 26.
According to Japanese media reports, Yagi was allegedly strangled with a telephone cord, and her backpack containing a wallet was taken. Ballard has denied the allegations.
The killing has intensified longstanding opposition to the US military presence in Okinawa, where residents have repeatedly protested crimes involving American service members, as well as noise pollution, aircraft accidents and other problems associated with military installations.
Okinawa hosts approximately 70% of Japan’s US military facilities and exclusive-use areas despite accounting for only around 0.6% of the country’s land area.
Meanwhile, protesters have increasingly demanded changes to the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement, signed in 1960, which governs the legal status and jurisdiction of American military personnel stationed in Japan.
Critics argue that the agreement gives US forces privileges that undermine Japan’s ability to exercise full jurisdiction over crimes involving American personnel.
Under the agreement, Japan does not have primary jurisdiction over offenses committed by US military personnel while performing official duties. Although Japanese authorities generally have primary jurisdiction over off-duty offenses, disputes over custody and the transfer of suspects have remained a longstanding source of controversy.