US base worker held drink-driving in Japan’s Okinawa

Tokyo / AFP

An American base employee on Japan’s Okinawa was arrested for suspected drink-driving on Sunday, a week after tens of thousands of angry residents rallied in protest at crimes linked to the heavy US military presence.
US military personnel are still under curfew after a suspected rape and murder by another employee of a military base.
The 24-year-old US air force worker detained Sunday failed to stop at an intersection and collided with a car whose driver was apparently unhurt, a local police spokesman said. A breath test indicated the American’s alcohol level was four times the legal limit, the spokesman said.
Anger at the US bases was rekindled last month with the arrest of a former US Marine, who at the time was a base employee, in connection with the death of a 20-year-old woman.
The arrest led to a month-long night-time curfew for US forces stationed on the island.