Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Asia

US military in Japan agrees to restrict troops' movements after Okinawa murder

Associated Press
Published | Updated
0528 okinawa murder

Lt. Gen. Lawrence D. Nicholson, U.S. Marine Corps Commanding General of III Marine Expeditionary Force, speaks during a press conference at the USMC Camp Foster in Okinawa, Japan after a former Marine was arrested on suspicion of killing a woman on the southern Japanese island. (Sadayuki Goto/Kyodo News via AP)

TOKYO – The U.S. military in Japan is restricting celebrations and off-base alcohol consumption in Okinawa after the arrest of a former Marine suspected of killing a woman on the southern Japanese island.

The Marine Corps commander in Japan said Saturday the measures are not punishment but an effort to show respect for the victim's family and mourn with the people of Okinawa.

"We should not be out shooting fireworks. We should not be out having large celebrations and parties while the Okinawan people are in mourning. If we really believe we are part of the Okinawan community, then we too must be in mourning. And we do," Lt. Gen. Lawrence Nicholson said at a news conference at a U.S. base in Okinawa.

The 30,000 U.S. troops will not be allowed to drink alcohol off-base, and visiting clubs and bars is prohibited. Upcoming festivals and concerts on bases are being postponed until later in the summer. The restrictions took effect Friday and will last until June 24.

Police say they arrested 32-year-old Kenneth Shinzato on May 19 after he told investigators where they could find a 20-year-old woman's body abandoned in a forest. Under Japanese law, he can be held for 21 days before charges are filed. The former Marine had married a Japanese woman and was working for a contractor that provided services to U.S. bases on Okinawa.

The arrest comes as tensions are already high over a plan to relocate a Marine Corps air station to a less-populated part of Okinawa. About half of the U.S. troops stationed in Japan are on the island, and many residents resent the burden they bear for the defense of Japan and the region. They want the air station moved off Okinawa all together.