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TOKYO / AP
There will be no Fourth of July fireworks for American troops in Japan this year due to restrictions imposed after a former US Marine was accused of murdering and raping a woman on Okinawa.
The US Navy in Japan said Thursday that it had canceled planned annual Independence Day fireworks at its bases as part of an order for all American troops in Japan. Along with fireworks, concerts and parties with music will be also canceled at Navy bases in Atsugi and Yokosuka near Tokyo, and Sasebo in southern Japan.
The killing of the woman, whose body was found in May, triggered outrage on the southern island, where tensions frequently rise over U.S. military-linked crime.
The suspect, a US contractor and former Marine, is charged with abandoning the woman’s body, with murder and rape charges pending.
The US Marine Corps and the Navy then imposed restrictions on their personnel, though some by the Navy have been eased.