US forces in Okinawa have extended a midnight-to-5 a.m. curfew on lower-ranked service members to December 7, the military announced, after a soldier was accused of robbery and murder. The restriction had been scheduled to end on November 8.
The curfew applies to junior ranks only. It bars them from leaving base during those hours, and the extension keeps it in place for another month.
The measure follows the arrest of a US service member on suspicion of robbery and murder. The announcement gave no further details of the case.
Curfews and off-base restrictions have been a recurring response by US forces in Okinawa after crimes involving service members, and they bind only the ranks named. Whether the restriction eases tension with host communities around the bases is a separate question from whether it prevents crime.