JUSTICE FOR ANNA YAGI! END U.S. MILITARY IMPUNITY IN OKINAWA

Okinawa residents held a protest against US military presence following Ballard's arrest 

The International Women’s Alliance expresses our anger and grief over the death of Anna Yagi, a 39-year-old Okinawan woman who was strangled and found in a Naha hotel on October 3. A U.S. Marine, Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, stationed at Futenma has been arrested on suspicion of her murder and robbery. The marine has denied the charges and the investigation into Yagi’s murder remains ongoing.

Anna’s death comes in the shadow of one of the most infamous crimes in Okinawa’s history: the 1995 rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl by three U.S. servicemen. That crime ignited mass outrage and protests. Thousands took to the streets immediately and weeks later a demonstration of tens of thousands of Okinawans demanded an end to the U.S. military presence on the island.

The 1995 case exposed the unequal relationship between the U.S.and Japan. Under the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement, special rules govern jurisdiction and custody of U.S. personnel accused of crimes. In 1995, the three servicemen accused of raping a minor remained in U.S. military custody until Japan formally indicted them. The controversy surrounding their custody became a central focus of the Okinawan protest movement and remains a large part of the unresolved challenges of military accountability.

Nearly three decades later the pattern continues to provoke outrage. Anna Yagi’s killing has already brought people into the streets. Around 160 people gathered in Naha on October 4 demanding an end to the U.S. military presence. Protesters in Tokyo called for the complete removal of all of U.S. bases, with one placard declaring that U.S. bases are the “root of violence”. On October 6, approximately 100 protesters rallied outside the U.S. Embassy, denouncing violence by American soldiers and declaring that Okinawa does not need U.S. bases.

The case is also reminiscent of Jennifer Laude, a Filipina transgender woman murdered by U.S. Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton in the Philippines in 2014. Pemberton was found guilty by Philippine courts but never served time for Laude’s murder because of the unequal agreement between the U.S. and the Philippines. Laude’s killing exposed the gendered consequences of foreign military presence and the unequal systems that shield military personnel from accountability. Women around military bases worldwide endure violence because of the impunity service members experience when they become violent. Militaries protect individual perpetrators while also creating the conditions where violence against women is condoned.

Through our Women Against War and Militarism campaign efforts, IWA has consistently opposed the militarization of Okinawa by U.S. armed forces and condemned the sexual and gender-based violence associated with U.S. military occupation on foreign military bases.  IWA continues to amplify the demand of the people across Asia Pacific and the world to call for “US Out” of our communities and homelands.  We stand with Okinawan women and with the growing community movement demanding justice for Anna Yagi. We stand with all victims of US military violence and call for the removal of all US bases around the world. 

Anna Yagi must not become another name in a long list of women harmed by US militarization. The violence must end. Military impunity must end. The voices of Okinawan women and communities demanding justice must be heard.

Justice for Anna Yagi!
Justice for Jennifer Laude!
Justice for every survivor and victim of militarized violence!
US Out of Okinawa!
US Out of Asia Pacific!
End US militarism and imperialism!