At around 11:40 p.m. on Nov. 19, a U.S. Air Force staff sergeant driving under the influence of alcohol collided with a motorcycle at the intersection of two town roads in Chatan’s Mihama district. The two teenage men on the bike suffered minor injuries to their heads and legs. Okinawa Police arrested the 26-year-old Air Force staff sergeant on Nov. 20 on charges of violating the Road Traffic Law (driving under the influence of alcohol).

In the one-month period since Oct. 24, U.S. service members have committed 17 offenses. On Nov. 13, the Okinawa Prefectural Government lodged protests to the U.S. military, the MOD Okinawa Defense Bureau, and the MOFA Okinawa Liaison Office and requested better discipline [among U.S. service members].

According to the Okinawa Police, the staff sergeant refuses to talk to the police and says, “I don’t want to talk.” His car collided with the motorcycle as he turned right at the intersection. He was arrested on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol (about three times the legal limit of 0.15 mg per liter of exhalation) on a town road in Mihama at around 11:40 p.m. on Nov. 19. He was arrested on the spot by police officers who rushed to the scene after being notified.

Over the past month, many accidents and incidents involving American military service members have occurred, including a cab robbery, injuries to people, and damage to property. The U.S. military’s liberty policy, which bans members from being off-base between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., was violated in some instances.

In the jurisdiction of the Okinawa Police, a U.S. service member was arrested on Nov. 12 and another on Nov. 14 on charges of violating the Road Traffic Law including drunk driving and/or refusing to receive a breath alcohol test. Both had a collision accident with another vehicle.