US Navy Bans Sailors From Alcohol Use in Japan

The United States Navy says it has banned its work force in Japan from drinking alcohol and limited most of their activities to Navy bases.

The announcement came after a U.S. sailor on the Japanese island of Okinawa was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.

Okinawa residents have demanded the removal of U.S. bases after several incidents involving armed forces members in recent months.

The latest incident happened Sunday night. Japanese police arrested Petty Officer 2nd Class Aimee Mejia after she reportedly drove on the wrong side of a road. She crashed her car into two vehicles, injuring two people, a police spokesman said.

Mejia was not hurt, the Associated Press reported.

Following the incident, U.S. sailors throughout Japan have been banned from drinking alcohol indefinitely, the Navy said in a statement.

“These [incidents] are not taken lightly,” said Rear Admiral Matthew Carter. “For decades, we have enjoyed a strong relationship with the people of Japan.”

The U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy, offered her regrets to the family of those injured in the accident.

The U.S. Navy had already ordered all sailors to return to their bases by midnight, local time. The Navy also banned all off-base drinking after a former U.S. Marine, who worked on an American military base in Japan, was arrested last month. That Marine was suspected of involvement in the disappearance of a Japanese woman. Police believe that she was raped and murdered.

In March, a U.S. sailor was arrested on charges of raping a Japanese woman in Okinawa. Three U.S. servicemen were found guilty in the rape of a schoolgirl in 1995. That case angered many Japanese.

I’m Jonathan Evans.

This story was published on VOANews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

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