US Marines in Okinawa face 48-hour alcohol ban, 30-day curfew after woman’s murder

US forces on Okinawa were on Wednesday barred from drinking alcohol for 48 hours and also face a 30day curfew after the murder of a woman allegedly committed by an American MarineThe case has triggered outrage in Japan where any crimes involving US forces have long inflamed criticism of the troops presenceThe governor of Okinawa where the bulk on the 54000 US military personnel are based in Japan is due to meet the Japanese premier on Wednesday to voice his concernsBenjamin T Watson Okinawa area coordinator and commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force announced a complete prohibition of alcohol consumption on or off base starting WednesdayWatson said that the 48hour period described as an operational pause would give commanders the time to lead training with all service members on standards discipline and our responsibilities as members of the Okinawan communityDuring this period operations will cease and we will not allow offbase liberty said Watson in a statement posted on X late TuesdayThe lieutenant general the most senior US military figure on Okinawa also announced a 30day period of reflection beginning FridayDuring this period we will implement a curfew in which liberty will expire at 2400 for all hands meaning you must be back on base in your assigned quarters or at your offbase domicile from midnight to 0500Police said Sunday that a US Marine stationed on Okinawa was arrested on suspicion of killing a 39yearold woman at a hotel in the city of Naha and stealing her walletLocal media reported she was choked to death and that the Marine is denying the allegationsThe United States has around 54000 military personnel stationed in Japan mostly on OkinawaCrimes committed by US personnel have been a thorn in relations between the close security alliesOn Wednesday Okinawa governor Genta Koja met Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in Tokyo where he said the case had caused deep anxiety among Okinawa residents He is due to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi later on WednesdayThe prefectural government has repeatedly demanded that the US military take measures to prevent a recurrence every time an incident occurs but the fact that such an incident has happened again forces us to conclude that discipline within the US forces and their human rights education are not functioning at all he told KoizumiKoizumi said that he would advance discussions with the United States on how to implement effective measures to prevent such insidents occuringLast year a Japanese court sentenced a US Marine accused of choking and attempting to rape a woman in her 20s to seven years in prisonIn 2017 a former US Marine and civilian military base worker was sentenced to life in prison for the rape and murder of a local woman in OkinawaThe same year US Forces Japan banned all personnel from consuming alcohol after an intoxicated US Marine crashed his vehicle into a minitruck killing its 61yearold local driverThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever