The US Navy yesterday slapped a drinking ban on sailors stationed in Japan and halted off base liberty after police arrested a US sailor on Okinawa on suspicion of drunk driving following a car crash that injured two people.
“For decades we have enjoyed a strong relationship with the people of Japan. It is imperative that each sailor understand how our actions affect that relationship and the US-Japan alliance as a whole,” Rear Admiral Matthew Carter, commander of US naval forces in Japan, said in a press release.
The US has about 18,600 sailors stationed in Japan.
The latest incident came as the US military observes a 30-day mourning period at bases on Okinawa after a US civilian working for the US military was arrested on suspicion of dumping the body of a 20-year-old Japanese woman.
Renewed anger among residents in Okinawa at the US military presence threatens a plan to relocate the US Marines’ Futenma air base to a less populous part of the island, which was agreed in 1995 after the rape of a Japanese schoolgirl by US military personnel sparked huge anti-base demonstrations.
Okinawa’s governor and many residents want the marines off the island.
All US sailors in Japan will be kept on base and banned from drinking until “all personnel understand the impact of responsible behavior on the US-Japan alliance,” the press release said. “Sailors living off base will be allowed to travel to and from base, and conduct only ‘essential activities,’” it said.
The restrictions do not apply to family members and civilian US contractors, which brings the total number of people to 35,000, but they are being encouraged to observe the rules “in a spirit of solidarity,” a spokesman for the US Navy said.
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