本·芬利华盛顿--在一名海军陆战队员因涉嫌杀害当地妇女被捕后，驻日本冲绳的美军将暂停所有行动两天，限制部队离开基地的能力，并下令进行训练。
BEN FINLEY WASHINGTON — The U.S. military in Okinawa, Japan, is pausing all operations for two days, restricting the ability of troops to leave their base and ordering training after a Marine was arrested on suspicion of killing a local woman.
中尉海军陆战队第三远征军指挥官本杰明·沃森将军周二在社交媒体上发布的一封信中表示，此类事件“要求我们停下来反思”，在日本岛屿上服役“伴随着责任”。海军陆战队员的被捕再次引发了对美国在南部岛屿的大量军事存在以及军事犯罪上升的抗议。此次杀戮也可能使日本首相高市佐江加强冲绳日本军队并与美军更密切合作以在该地区威慑中国的努力变得复杂。
Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson, commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, said in a letter posted on social media Tuesday that episodes like these “demand we pause for reflection” and that serving on the Japanese island “comes with responsibility.”The arrest of the Marine has renewed protests against the heavy American military presence on the southern island and the rise in military-related crime. The killing could also complicate Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s push to strengthen the Japanese military on Okinawa and to work more closely with the U.S. military to deter China in the region.
沃森写道：“我们与冲绳人民一起生活、工作和社交;他们的家就是我们的家。”“与邻居的每次互动要么建立，要么破坏对我们团队至关重要的信任。当这种信任受到损害时，就会影响我们联盟的强度和该地区的安全。因此，我们将花时间认真考虑纪律、标准和我们的联盟责任。”48小时的暂停将从周三持续到周五。服役人员将接受有关标准、纪律和“我们作为冲绳社区成员的责任”的培训。限制部队离开军事基地和与当地社区互动的能力是军事领导人对重大犯罪的常见反应。
“We live, work, and socialize alongside the people of Okinawa; their home is our home,” Watson wrote. “Every interaction with our neighbors either builds or undermines the trust that is essential to our team. When that trust is damaged, it affects the strength of our alliance and the security of this region. Accordingly, we will take time to think hard about discipline, standards and our alliance responsibilities.”The 48-hour pause will last from Wednesday through Friday. Service members will receive training on standards, discipline and “our responsibilities as members of the Okinawan community.”Restricting the ability of troops to leave military bases and interact with the local community is a common response by military leaders to major crimes.
冲绳县警方说，他们逮捕了驻扎在普天间机场的20岁的一等兵德文·雅各布·巴拉德，他涉嫌周六早些时候在冲绳首府那霸的一家酒店勒死39岁的安娜·八木，并偷走了她的钱包和背包。据日本媒体报道，他否认了这些指控。监控录像显示，一名男子与该女子一起进入酒店，随后独自离开。
Okinawa prefectural police said they arrested Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, who is stationed at Futenma Air Station, on suspicion of strangling Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in the island’s capital city, Naha, early Saturday and stealing her wallet and backpack. He has denied the allegations, according to Japanese media. Security camera footage showed a man entering the hotel with the woman and later leaving alone.
周六晚些时候，一名巡逻警察在那霸东北约15英里（25公里）的冲绳市娱乐区看到巴拉德散步，随后将其逮捕。据共同社报道，他剃光的头和手臂上的纹身与监控录像中的男子相符。
Ballard was arrested when a patrolling officer saw him walking later Saturday in an entertainment district in Okinawa City, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) northeast of Naha. His shaved head and the tattoos on his arms matched those of the man in security footage, Kyodo News agency reported.
“我必须说，纪律和部队教育根本不起作用，”居住在冲绳市的Higa健二告诉《冲绳时报》。他指的是美军针对过去刑事案件采取的措施。
“I must say, discipline and troop education are not working at all,” Kenji Higa, who lives in Okinawa City, told the Okinawa Times. He was referring to the U.S. military’s measures taken in response to past criminal cases.
冲绳人长期以来一直反对美国在该岛驻军，但由于人们普遍认为来自中国的威胁日益严重，一些人开始看到其战略价值。
People in Okinawa have long opposed the heavy U.S. military presence on the island, but some have come to see its strategic value due to what is widely viewed as a growing threat from China.
从二战到1972年，冲绳一直处于美国占领之下。如今，岛上的美国人口已近8万，其中近3万名现役军人来自武装部队所有四个军种，尽管海军陆战队占了部队的大部分。
Okinawa was under U.S. occupation from World War II until 1972. Today the U.S. population on the island is nearly 80,000, with nearly 30,000 being active duty troops from all four branches of the armed forces, though the Marines make up the bulk of the forces.
人们对与美军有关的犯罪不断增加感到愤怒。据警方称，此类刑事案件数量从2020年的约40起增加到去年的101起。
There has been anger over increasing crime linked to the U.S. military. The number of such criminal cases rose to 101 last year from about 40 in 2020, according to police.
1995年一名12岁女孩被三名美军强奸后，大批人群抗议美军驻扎冲绳。人们还对2024年一名美国军人强奸一名少女以及犯罪行为的延迟披露感到愤怒。
After the 1995 rape of a 12-year-old girl by three U.S. service members, huge crowds protested the U.S. troop presence on Okinawa. There was also anger over the rape of a teenage girl by a U.S. service member in 2024 and the delayed disclosure of the crime.