The head of American military forces in Japan has issued a directive curtailing public access to alcohol after a string of alleged sexual assaults by service members there earlier this year.
In a Sept. 16 liberty order, U.S. Forces Japan banned troops from visiting off-base drinking establishments and publicly consuming alcohol from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. every day.
The edict applies to all service members, regardless of age.
The rules went into effect on Tuesday, according to the order, and apply to any service members serving in Japan under U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
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The memorandum calls upon military personnel to police both their own and other service member’s conduct, and report any lawlessness immediately to their superiors.
“Acts of indiscipline or misbehavior by U.S. military personnel adversely impact international relations, tarnish the image of the United States military, and affect our military readiness,” the order states.
Commanders retain the right to strengthen the policy when appropriate, as well as provide exemptions to the curfew, according to the order.
The restrictions come after several service members were arrested for sexual assault in the Okinawa region of Japan over the last six months.
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The order also calls on commanders to refrain from granting liberty to service members “not in compliance with Service-specific and DoD directives regarding sexual assault prevention and response training.”
Commanders are also required to remain current on personal accountability training involving sexual assault and its prevention, according to the command.
50,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Japan, with half of them in Okinawa, according to an earlier Military Times report.
Riley Ceder is an editorial fellow at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice and human interest stories. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the ongoing Abused by the Badge investigation.
