US Marine arrested over fatal vehicle crash in Okinawa

November 20, 2017

Naha, Okinawa Pref.- Police arrested a US Marine who tested positive for alcohol following a fatal vehicle crash in Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan.

The 21-year-old serviceman stationed at the US Marine Corps' Camp Kinser in the Okinawa city of Urasoe was arrested on suspicions of negligent driving resulting in death and driving under the influence of alcohol.

A 61-year-old Okinawa man was killed when his light truck collided with the Marine's military truck on a road in Naha, the capital of the prefecture, Sunday morning.

A breath test on the Marine showed an alcohol level about three times the legal limit, according to the Okinawa prefectural police department.

"I would like to convey my deepest regret and sincere condolences to the family and friends of the Okinawan man who died as a result of this accident," Lt. Gen. Lawrence D. Nicholson, commanding general of Marine Forces Japan, said in a statement.

"We will cooperate with the investigators to the fullest extent," Nicholson said. "You have my promise that I will rigorously work to...take every possible step to keep this from happening again," he added.

Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Shinsuke Sugiyama called US Ambassador to Japan William Hagerty to express Tokyo's regret over the case and call for steps to prevent its repeat.

In response, Hagerty offered his condolences and pledged efforts to prevent such a case from happening again.

Meanwhile All US service members across Japan are banned from drinking alcoholic beverages on or off base, following a fatal drunken driving accident caused by a Marine in Okinawa Prefecture, the US military in Japan said Monday.

US service members in the southernmost Japan prefecture are also restricted to base and their residences, it said.

"The vast majority of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and civilians in Japan serve honorably and make great contributions to the defense of Japan," US Forces Japan said in a statement.

"When our service members fail to live up to the high standards we set for them, it damages the bonds between bases and local communities and make it harder for us to accomplish our mission," the statement also said.

On Sunday, a 21-year-old US Marine was arrested after his truck collided with a civilian light truck in Okinawa, killing the 61-year-old driver of the vehicle. A breath test on the Marine detected an alcohol content about three times the legal limit, according to police. Jiji Press