The Yokosuka Police Station and a local organization held a traffic safety campaign near Yokosuka-chuo Station on the Keikyu Line on Dec. 14 ahead of the year-end and New Year holidays, when people have more opportunities to drink. U.S. military personnel also joined the campaign and handed out some 600 daikon radishes grown on the Miura Peninsula for the “daikonzetu [complete eradication]” of drunk drinking.

The annual campaign was conducted with about 60 participants, including those from the Yokosuka Police Station and from the Yokosuka Kotsu-anzen Kyokai [Yokosuka traffic safety association]. Also, 20 or so U.S. military personnel, including Jeffrey Kim, commander of the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, joined the drive. They handed out daikon in front of the station, saying, “Let’s eradicate drunk driving.”

Before the campaign started, Yokosuka Police Station chief Hiroya Yarimizo told the participants: “We’re afraid that the number of drunk driving cases will increase over the New Year holidays. I’d like you to hand out daikon in the hope of eliminating drunk driving.”

Capt. Kim said, “About 5,000 people newly get a driver’s license every year on the Yokosuka base.” He added: “Traffic safety education is our important mission. I’m grateful that we can take part in this activity.”