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US navy in Okinawa imposes alcohol ban after drink-drive arrest US navy in Okinawa imposes alcohol ban after drink-drive arrest
(about 2 hours later)
The US navy has banned its 18,600 sailors stationed in Japan from drinking alcohol and restricted their off-base activities after police arrested a US sailor on the southern island of Okinawa on suspicion of drink-driving following a car crash that injured two people. The US navy has imposed a drinking ban on thousands of sailors in Japan, after an officer’s arrest in Okinawa for drink-driving risked fuelling resentment towards the large US military presence on the southern Japanese island.
Sailors will be kept on base and banned from drinking until “all personnel understand the impact of responsible behaviour on the US-Japan alliance”, the navy said. Sailors living off base will be allowed to travel to and from base and conduct only “essential activities”. Aimee Mejia, a petty officer second class, was arrested after allegedly crossing into the opposite lane and colliding head on with two cars while driving under the influence late on Saturday night, reports said.
The restrictions do not apply to family members and civilian contractors, but they are being encouraged to observe the rules “in a spirit of solidarity”, a spokesman said. Mejia, 21, was unhurt but two other people – a 35-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man – were injured.
Rear Admiral Matthew Carter, commander of US naval forces in Japan, said: “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.” . “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, the commander of US naval forces in Japan, said in a press release on Monday.
The US military was already observing a 30-day mourning period at bases on Okinawa after a contractor was arrested on suspicion of killing a 20-year-old Japanese woman and dumping her body. Lt Gen John Dolan, the commander of US forces in Japan, said: “We deeply regret this incident and express our heartfelt sympathies for the accident victims and their families. We wish them a fast recovery. The sailor is in Japanese police custody for suspicion of driving while intoxicated, and we are cooperating fully with this investigation.”
Renewed anger among Okinawa residents about the US military presence threatens a plan to relocate the US Marines’ Futenma airbase 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 demonstrations against the base. Okinawa’s governor and many residents want the marines off the island. The incident occurred as the US military on Okinawa was observing a 30-day period of “unity and mourning” following the arrest last month of an American civilian employee of a US air force base in connection with the murder of a local woman.
That case prompted Barack Obama to express his “deepest regrets and condolences” over the case on the eve of last month’s G7 summit in Japan.
The Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, told government officials and ruling party MPs that the drink-driving case was “extremely deplorable ... as it happened right after the US said they would make efforts to strengthen discipline”, Jiji Press reported.
The incidents are certain to complicate attempts by Tokyo and Washington to push ahead with the controversial relocation of the Futenma Marines base from a crowded city on Okinawa to a less populated neighbourhood in the town of Henoko.
Okinawa hosts more than half the 47,000 US troops based in Japan, and 75% of its military facilities.
The relocation plan, which involves the construction of an offshore runway that campaigners say would destroy the local marine environment, was agreed two decades ago after the rape and abduction of a Japanese schoolgirl by three American servicemen triggered huge anti-base demonstrations.
The campaign to move Futenma off Okinawa altogether received a boost on Sunday when anti-base councillors secured a majority in prefectural assembly elections, winning 27 out of 48 seats, according to public broadcaster NHK.
The result is expected to embolden the island’s anti-base governor Takeshi Onaga, who described it as a “big victory” and proof that opposition to the Futenma move enjoyed widespread public support.
However, officials in Tokyo said the government was determined to proceed with the relocation.
“There is no change to our stance that the shift to Henoko is the only solution when we think about maintaining the deterrence value of the US-Japan alliance, and removing the risks of the Futenma airbase,” Yoshihide Suga, the chief cabinet secretary, told reporters.
The alcohol ban will apply to all 18,600 US sailors stationed in Japan and will not be lifted until “all personnel understand the impact of responsible behavior on the US-Japan alliance”, Carter said. “Sailors living off base will be allowed to travel to and from base and conduct only essential activities.”