American junior enlisted personnel at Kadena Air Base on Okinawa face an alcohol ban and overnight curfew following the arrest of a U.S. Marine suspected of robbing and killing a local woman. The restrictions apply to personnel in grades E-1 through E-4.

The measures began late last week under a memo signed by 18th Wing Commander Brig. Gen. John Gallemore. They will remain in force through the rest of a 30 day Period of Reflection scheduled to end Nov. 8.

“The 18th Wing continually assesses measures to reinforce good order and discipline and maintain positive relationships with our host community,” a base spokesperson told Military Times.

Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard was arrested in early October under suspicion of killing Anna Yagi, a 39 year old Naha resident, at a hotel in the city. A police report also stated that he stole her wallet and other belongings.

Ballard is assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force, which is headquartered at Camp Courtney on Okinawa. His arrest revived concerns about the large American troop presence on the island.

The Japanese government lodged what Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described as a “strong protest” against the United States. Japan also demanded full American cooperation with local authorities investigating the case.

Soon after Ballard’s arrest, U.S. officials ordered all military personnel on Okinawa to halt operations for 48 hours. That pause gave commanders and senior enlisted leaders time to conduct training on standards, discipline and troops’ responsibilities within the local community.

Personnel then entered the 30 day Period of Reflection. During that period, liberty is restricted to remind personnel that maintaining it is both a responsibility and a privilege.

“As part of the ongoing 30-day period of reflection on Okinawa, Japan, Brig. Gen. John B. Gallemore, 18th Wing commander, determined that additional preventive measures were appropriate to reinforce expectations for responsible conduct among service members,” the base spokesperson said.

The undated memo first appeared on social media through the unofficial Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook page. A base spokesperson declined to confirm or deny the document’s authenticity to Military Times.

Under the memo, junior enlisted airmen cannot consume alcohol, and their liberty outside the base is restricted between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Alcohol possession is also forbidden in dormitories and common areas on the installation.

Commanders at every level may conduct unannounced Health and Welfare inspections of dormitories assigned to personnel to check compliance. The memo sets limits on how those inspections are to be carried out.

“These inspections must be administrative in nature and conducted uniformly across the unit or randomly based on objective criteria,” the memo states. “This policy does not authorize warrantless, targeted criminal searches of specific individuals without probable cause and properly executed command search authorization.”

Some Okinawa establishments have served alcohol to military personnel during curfew hours and allowed them to remain after curfew, violating the Period of Reflection order. A Kadena Emergency Off Limits Order issued last week temporarily barred all Kadena personnel from one Okinawa bar.

The Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board is expected to discuss the order at its next meeting and determine when the prohibition should end. The order linked continued patronage after curfew with serious misconduct and other dangerous incidents.

“Military members who continue to patronize establishments past curfew hours often engage in high-risk behavior due to overconsumption of alcohol, leading to physical altercations, hospitalizations, and incidents arising from driving under the influence of alcohol,” the order reads.

The order also warned that permitting service members to openly disregard the restrictions places further strain on relations with local residents. “The demonstration of this establishment to allow members to openly violate the 30-Day Period of Reflection endangers the already strained relationship between the people of Okinawa and U.S. military personnel.”