US troops in Japan banned from alcohol

: US Forces in Japan banned all personnel from consuming alcohol after a drinkdriving accident on the island of Okinawa where anti-base sentiment runs high.

AUSMarinecrashedhisvehicle into a mini-truck at an intersection on Sunday, killing the other driver, 61.

The21-year-old,whosebreath testshowedanalcohollevelthree timesthelegallimit,wasarrested andchargedwithnegligentdrivingresultingindeath,policesaid.

AllUSservicemenstationedin Japan are now banned from drinking,bothonandoffbase,the USForcesinJapansaidinastatement.

InOkinawa,personnelarealso restricted to base or to their residences.

“When our service members fail to live up to the high standardswesetforthem,itdamages the bonds between bases and local communities and makes it harder for us to accomplish our mission,” the statement said.

ChiefCabinetSecretaryYoshihide Suga said Tokyo made an immediate complaint about the case to the US side, demanding theUSmilitaryenforcestrictdisciplineandtakepreventivesteps.

“It is extremely regrettable thatthisaccidenthappenedeven thoughtheJapanesegovernment hasrepeatedlyaskedthemforthe thoroughimplementationofpreventive measures and enforcement of disciplines,” Suga told reporters.

The US has several military basesinJapanandstationsabout 47,000 troops in the country as part of a joint security treaty.

But crimes by US personnel have seen relations with locals strained.

In the most recent case, a former US Marine employed at the US Air Force’s sprawling KadenaAirBaseonOkinawawas charged with the murder of a 20-year-old woman last year.

The incident intensified longstanding local opposition to the American military presence on the island.

Commanders across Japan willimmediatelyleadmandatory training to address responsible alcohol use, risk management and acceptable behavior, the US statement added.

TOKYO