The US military has banned all troops stationed in Japan from drinking alcohol, following a deadly crash on Okinawa island linked to drink driving.<\/p>\n
In addition, soldiers on Okinawa are banned from leaving their base and their residences, the US military said.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, a US soldier crashed his truck into a mini van, killing the local driver of the other vehicle.<\/p>\n
Okinawa hosts more than half of the US\u2019 troops in Japan but locals have long resented the heavy military presence.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the US military confirmed that one its service members was involved in the accident and said that \u201calcohol may have been a factor\u201d.<\/p>\n
The military also announced \u201cmandatory training to address responsible alcohol use, risk management and acceptable behaviour\u201d for all its troops across Japan.<\/p>\n
The US presence on Okinawa, located around 640km (400 miles) south of Japan and off the coast of China, is a key part of the US-Japan security alliance.<\/p>\n
The base houses about 26,000 US troops.<\/p>\n
There are plans to relocate part of it to a less-populated area of the island, but many Okinawans want the air base removed altogether.<\/p>\n
Many Okinawans object to the alleged crimes and accidents attributed to the troops. Resentment at the US presence has been growing among many locals, particularly since the 1995 gang-rape of a 12-year-old girl by US troops.<\/p>\n
In 2016, the murder of a woman was linked to an ex-Marine employed at one of the bases, also leading to a temporary ban on alcohol as well as a midnight curfew.<\/p>\n
Source: BBC<\/p>\n
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