In brief
A U.S. Marine was arrested in Okinawa on Saturday for allegedly driving under the influence during a midnight‑to‑5 a.m. curfew set after a previous Marine was indicted for murder. Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has called on the United States to take “serious” preventive measures and ensure the curfew is strictly enforced. The U.S. response to the request remains unreported.
A U.S. Marine was arrested Saturday in Okinawa, the island’s capital, after local police said he was driving under the influence at about 12:25 a.m. the curfew hours that were imposed following a murder case involving another Marine. The curfew, running from midnight to 5 a.m. for a 30‑day “period of reflection,” began on Oct. 9 after the arrest of Devin Ballard on Oct. 4 for robbing and murdering a local woman in Naha.
The incident occurred despite the strict curfew, and Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has demanded that the U.S. side enforce discipline more thoroughly. He said the U.S. forces must “take seriously” the fact that the offence happened during the restricted period.
Koizumi added that the U.S. should adopt “effective preventive” measures and ensure that the curfew hours are strictly observed. The measures are currently in discussion during bilateral high‑level consultations following Ballard’s case.
He said,
We want to reach conclusions as early as possible, announce the measures and put them into practice.
The Ministry’s request comes after the March arrest of Kalvin Montoya Cardona for DUI during the same curfew. The U.S. military community in Okinawa and the U.S. Department of Defense have not yet publicly responded to Koizumi’s appeal.
