Femicide shocked Japan: Alcohol ban and curfew for US soldiers

After a US Marine stationed on Japan's Okinawa Island was detained on suspicion of killing a 39-year-old woman, the US military announced new disciplinary measures for soldiers serving in the region.

While US forces were banned from consuming alcohol for 48 hours, it was also reported that a curfew would be imposed from midnight to 05:00 in the morning for 30 days.

Lieutenant General Benjamin T. Watson, Okinawa Regional Coordinator and Commander of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, announced that alcohol consumption is completely prohibited on and off the base as of Wednesday.

Watson described the 48-hour implementation as an "operational pause" and stated that during this period, commanders will provide training to all personnel on discipline, behavioral standards and responsibilities towards Okinawa society.

It was announced that departures from the base will be stopped during this period.

30 DAY NIGHT RESTRICTION

Watson also announced a 30-day "evaluation period" starting Friday.

In this context, all personnel will be required to be at their bases, in their assigned residences, or at their residences outside the base, between midnight and 05:00 in the morning.

Okinawa police announced that a soldier serving in the US Marine Corps was detained on Sunday on suspicion of killing a 39-year-old woman and stealing her wallet in a hotel in the city of Naha.

According to reports in the Japanese media, it is considered that the woman was strangled to death. It was reported that the suspected soldier denied the accusations.

Okinawa Governor Genta Koja, in his meeting with Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in Tokyo, said that the incident caused "deep concern" among the people of the region.

Koja stated that the US army had previously been called to take precautions after similar incidents, and that with the new case, the adequacy of existing discipline and human rights training was questioned again.

Defense Minister Koizumi said that discussions will continue with the US side on effective measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

REACTIONS AGAINST US SOLDIERS ARE NOT NEW

While approximately 54 thousand US soldiers serve in Japan, most of them are in Okinawa.

Crimes involving US military personnel have long been one of the most controversial topics of public opinion in Okinawa.

Last year, a Japanese court sentenced a US Marine accused of attempting to strangle and sexually assault a woman in her 20s to seven years in prison.

In 2017, a former US Marine and base employee was sentenced to life imprisonment for raping and murdering a woman in Okinawa.

That same year, US Forces imposed a temporary alcohol ban on all personnel in Japan after a 61-year-old Japanese driver died in an accident involving a drunk US Marine.