Okinawa curfew to be trimmed by 2 hours

Okinawa curfew to be trimmed by 2 hours
Kyodo News Agency
Posted : Wednesday Apr 2, 2008 9:36:13 EDT

YOKOSUKA, Japan — The U.S. military in Okinawa said Wednesday that its curfew for uniformed service members has been shortened to midnight to 5 a.m., effective Friday, from the current 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The curfew was imposed after the alleged rape of a local junior high school girl in February. An all-day curfew was initially imposed Feb. 20 on all military service personnel, U.S. civilian workers and their families, but was eased March 3 to cover only service personnel and the period was shortened to 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

“The period of reflection and the associated limitations on liberty have resulted in a reduction in off-base misconduct and will ultimately serve our interest in reaffirming the trust, confidence and rapport with our local community,” Marine Lt. Gen. Richard Zilmer, commander of the U.S. forces in Okinawa, said in the statement.

Meanwhile, The Navy in Japan said Wednesday it has imposed alcohol consumption and other limits on its personnel in Yokosuka to observe “a period of heightened sensitivity” to mourn the murder of a Japanese taxi driver last month.

The Navy announced the limits after a 22-year-old Navy sailor reportedly admitted earlier in the day that he had killed the 61-year-old taxi driver, Masaaki Takahashi, during questioning by Japanese police.

Ellie