Another US Marine arrested for DUI in Okinawa
Japan has asked the United States to thoroughly enforce discipline after a US Marine in Okinawa Prefecture was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol during curfew hours imposed following a murder case involving another Marine, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on Monday.
Koizumi said he wants the US side to “take seriously” the fact that the incident occurred despite the curfew period starting Oct. 9 in response to the arrest on Oct. 4 of Devin Ballard, who was subsequently indicted on charges of robbing and murdering a local woman in Naha, the capital of the southern island prefecture.
Japan has also requested the US side to take “effective preventive” measures and ensure that the curfew hours are strictly implemented, Koizumi said, referring to the midnight to 5 a.m. curfew imposed during a 30-day “period of reflection.”
Koizumi said preventive measures are being discussed in bilateral high-level consultations following the case involving Ballard.
