Okinawa Patrols to Expand as US, Japan Revise Troop Briefing
Japan and the United States will widen joint police patrols in Okinawa's nightlife districts and rewrite the briefing given to American troops arriving on the
Japan and the United States will widen joint police patrols in Okinawa's nightlife districts and rewrite the briefing given to American troops arriving on the island. Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi announced the steps at a Tokyo news conference on Friday.
The measures follow the arrest of a US Marine over the death of an Okinawan woman. Officials say they aim to prevent further crimes by service members on the island.
The case behind the changes
Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard was arrested on suspicion of killing Anna Yagi at a hotel in Naha, Okinawa's capital, in the early hours of October 3. Prosecutors indicted him on October 25 on a charge of robbery causing death. Police said he has denied the allegation.
Last month, the two governments began a high-level review of liberty policies, the rules on off-duty conduct, for American troops across Japan.
What is changing
The allies plan to update the Okinawa Orientation Overview, a mandatory briefing for US military personnel who newly arrive on the island. The revision is meant to include input from Okinawa's prefectural government.
Joint patrols are already under way. US service members checked identification on Gate 2 Street in Okinawa city on November 6, during a joint patrol.
Tighter limits on nightlife
US commanders have imposed their own restrictions. On October 31, US Forces Japan added four establishments near Kadena Air Base to its off-limits list: Bar Goodlife, Rabbit Hole (also known as King of Kings), New York Terminal 2 and King 4 Party. All sit on or near Gate 2 Street.
Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson, commander of the III Marine Expeditionary Force, extended a midnight-to-5 a.m. curfew through December 7. It covers service members in pay grades E-1 through E-4, the most junior enlisted ranks. All service members are barred from drinking alcohol outside their homes during those hours.
The curfew first applied to every service member on Okinawa during a monthlong "Period of Reflection" that began after Ballard's arrest.
Okinawa's governor presses Tokyo
Okinawa's new governor, Genta Koja, spoke to reporters at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Monday. He urged the central government to set a timetable for moving Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and for changing the rules that govern American troops in Japan.
Koja said relocating the base from densely populated Ginowan city to rural Henoko, and returning the land to Japan, is "of the utmost importance." He called it the "quickest way to eliminate the dangers posed" by the base.
He cited aircraft noise, environmental contamination and incidents or accidents involving US personnel as major concerns. Okinawa makes up 0.6% of Japan's land area, he said, yet hosts 70.3% of the facilities used exclusively by US forces in the country.
