US Air Force captain held in Okinawa drunk-driving case
Thestandard · 2 SOURCESabout 12 hours ago1 MIN
Summary
Japanese police arrested a 27-year-old U.S. Air Force captain in Okinawa City at about 3:09 a.m. on Saturday on suspicion of drunk driving. The officer, identified by local media as Omena Mushale and assigned to Kadena Air Base, was allegedly driving while intoxicated when police detained him at the scene
Key Points
- Okinawa prefectural police said the captain was driving on a road in Okinawa City at around 3:09 a.m. on Saturday when he was arrested
- Xinhua, citing Kyodo News and police, identified the suspect as 27-year-old Omena Mushale, assigned to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa
- Police said alcohol was detected in his breath, and the arrest was made on suspicion of violating Japan's road traffic law
- The arrest came about a week after Tokyo and Washington agreed on measures to prevent crimes by U.S. service members in Okinawa
- U.S. officials had already extended a midnight-to-5 a.m. curfew for lower-ranking personnel until Dec. 7 and banned all service members from drinking outside their homes during those hours.
Why It Matters
The case adds pressure to an already sensitive issue in the U.S.-Japan alliance, because crimes involving the roughly 54,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan, most of them in Okinawa, have long strained local relations. For Hong Kong readers, it is another example of how military discipline issues can quickly become a diplomatic problem in a key U.S. security hub in Asia.