III Marine Expeditionary Force said the midnight-to-5 a.m. curfew that begins Friday will not include a drinking ban. A 48-hour alcohol prohibition and off-base liberty freeze had been in force since Tuesday.
US service members on Okinawa will not be barred from drinking during a 30-day overnight curfew that begins Friday, the Marine Corps said on Thursday. III Marine Expeditionary Force spokesman 1st Lt. Tyler Thomas told Stars and Stripes that standard off-duty rules and responsible-use policies stay in effect outside curfew hours.
The change follows a Tuesday order from Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson, the III MEF commander, that imposed a 48-hour Period of Training. That period banned alcohol even in private residences and barred troops from off-base liberty. The later Period of Reflection requires all US service members on the island to remain in assigned quarters on base or at off-base homes between midnight and 5 a.m.
Thomas said the measures are meant to monitor compliance with the curfew, run accountability checks and reinforce professional standards as personnel move on and off base. He declined to describe specific procedures or staffing, citing operational security. Stars and Stripes reported that about 30,000 of the roughly 55,000 US service members in Japan are on Okinawa, and that the restrictions apply across services.
The restrictions followed the arrest of a Marine over the alleged killing of a local woman. This brief does not restate those allegations. The material development on Thursday is that the month-long curfew, unlike the 48-hour pause, does not carry an alcohol ban.
Watson met division commanders at Camp Courtney on Oct. 6 as the restrictions were being set. No further extension of the drinking ban was announced in the Thursday statement.
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- Tyler Thomas said standard off-duty regulations and responsible-use policies remain in effect outside curfew hours.
- He said the measures are designed to monitor compliance with the midnight-to-5 a.m. curfew.