US military in Japan rocked by second arrest of marine in less than a month

A US marine has been arrested in Japan on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, local police have said, the second law enforcement incident involving the American military presence in Okinawa in less than a month. The 21-year-old suspect was identified by local media reports as Cpl Kalvin Montoya Cardona of Camp Hansen – a US marine corps base on Okinawa Island. Mr Cardona is also reportedly being investigated over a hit-and-run incident. The US marine is suspected of driving under the influence in breach of road traffic laws on a national highway in Okinawa at around 12.25am on Saturday, Okinawa prefectural police in southern Japan said. The incident took place during a curfew for US marines between midnight and 5am local time, which was imposed earlier last month following the arrest of a US marine who was later indicted on charges of robbing and murdering a Japanese woman. Lance corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, was accused of killing Anna Yagi, 39, in a hotel in the prefecture’s capital Naha and taking her wallet and backpack earlier last month. Mr Ballard denies the allegations.US marine lance corporal Devin Jacob Ballard leaves a police station to be sent to prosecutors over the killing of a Japanese woman in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, 5 October 2026 in this photo taken by Kyodo (Reuters)Mr Ballard, who was stationed at Futenma Air Base, was found walking alone in Okinawa city on the day of the alleged offences, and was arrested the following day on suspicion of robbery and murder.On Saturday, police received a report of a hit-and-run incident at around 12.15am and carried out a breathalyser test on Cardona, who is believed to have returned to the scene, The Japan Times reported. He was arrested after the test found his blood alcohol level to be more than twice the legal limit. Japanese defence minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on Monday that Japan wanted the US side to “take seriously” the incident that occurred despite the curfew, Mainichi reported. Following Mr Ballard’s arrest, the US military in Okinawa imposed a 30-day curfew on 9 October, restricting personnel from leaving their bases between midnight and 5am.The incident had also led the Japanese government to lodge a strong protest with the Trump administration. Prime minister Sanae Takaichi condemned the incident as a “brutal and heinous” crime and called for stricter discipline of American personnel. The incident also renewed long-standing local tensions over the heavy US military presence on Okinawa, which hosts a large share of US bases in Japan.Local residents have long voiced anger over crimes committed by US military personnel, including offences against women and girls, as well as noise and pollution associated with American military installations.