Japan Urges Washington to Discipline Its Troops After Second US Soldier Arrested in Okinawa

Japan has urged the United States to enforce stricter discipline among its troops, following the arrest of a U.S. Marine suspect for drunk driving during a curfew imposed after another soldier was detained on murder charges, according to an announcement by Japan’s Defense Minister on Monday.

Earlier last month, U.S. forces stationed on Japan’s Okinawa island were banned from consuming alcohol for two days and subjected to a 30-day curfew following the killing of a woman, allegedly by a U.S. Marine.

The case has sparked outrage in Japan and reignited debate over the heavy U.S. military presence on the southern island.

Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba stated that a second U.S. Marine was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.

The arrest occurred on Saturday, according to media reports.

Speaking to journalists, Ishiba said, “We have requested the U.S. side to impose strict discipline on its personnel, implement effective measures to prevent such incidents from recurring, and ensure full compliance with the nighttime curfew.”

He added, “We want them to treat this incident seriously.”

The curfew imposed last month required all military personnel to return to their bases or off-base residences between midnight and 5 a.m.

Last week, the Japanese Public Prosecutors Office formally charged the U.S. Marine suspect in the Okinawa woman’s killing.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had informed lawmakers days after the woman’s death that the government had lodged a strong protest with the United States, urging it to “fully cooperate with the investigation” and “impose strict discipline on U.S. military personnel.”

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, the indictment alleges that the 20-year-old suspect strangled the victim, a resident of Naha, with a telephone cord inside a hotel on October 3.

The United States stations approximately 54,000 troops in Japan, most of whom are based in Okinawa.

Crimes committed by U.S. military personnel have been a source of tension in relations between the two close security allies.

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi had previously announced that officials were reviewing the code of conduct for U.S. military personnel off-base in Japan following the suspected murder.

Current rules, updated in 2024 after a series of sexual assaults committed by U.S. troops in Okinawa, prohibit U.S. military personnel from consuming alcohol in public places off-base between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., or visiting bars during those hours.