Thursday, February 22, 2001

By David Allen
Okinawa bureau chief

OKINAWA CITY — The Okinawa City Council on Wednesday demanded a midnight curfew be placed on all U.S. servicemembers on Okinawa.

The resolution was passed as a result of complaints from Okinawa officials that efforts by military officials to control the off-base behavior of servicemembers are not working.

"We want to work with the military on how to impose such a restriction," said Sachio Kuwae, chairman of the council’s committee on military affairs.

The resolution called for the restriction of all off-base activity by those under the Status of Forces Agreement. However, Kuwae said it was understood that might not be possible because many Americans live in the Okinawan community.

The resolution also demanded the SOFA be changed to give Japanese police immediate custody of Americans charged with Japanese crimes, and a review of the number of U.S. forces assigned to the island, especially Marines.

That demand follows the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly’s call last month for a reduction in the number of Marines assigned to Okinawa.

The action by the city council follows a similar request made by the deputy mayor of Chatan on Tuesday during a meeting of a group of Okinawa and U.S. military officials formed to discuss the behavior of people covered by the SOFA.

The recent arrests in Chatan of a Marine on arson charges and an Army Special Forces sergeant on suspicion of vandalism show that tighter controls are needed, Deputy Mayor Yoshimitsu Higa said. He asked that the midnight curfew be limited to people drinking alcohol and "hanging out" on the streets or parks.

Other Okinawan leaders, however, were reluctant to call for resumption of the midnight curfew for everyone, deciding it should be enforced only for those younger than 20. But they did support Higa’s suggestion that the military extend the hours of "courtesy patrols" to 5 a.m. The four-man teams of senior enlisted personnel now walk the bar district on weekend nights from midnight to 3 a.m.

Higa also asked the patrols be extended to city parks and beaches.

Another suggestion by Higa, that a curfew be placed on minors, is already enforced on U.S. bases and housing areas.

U.S. officials said they would consider expanding the patrols but had no plans to reinstitute a policy that placed bars and other places that sell alcohol off-limits after midnight.

"The Marine Corps and the other U.S. services on Okinawa are making every effort to ensure our personnel act as responsible citizens and abide by Japanese laws," said Capt. Doug Powell, a Marine Corps spokesman. "We have extensive and effective ongoing programs that are helping reduce incidents and accidents. We seek constantly to make improvements in our programs of education, prevention, and enforcement."

Chiyomi Sumida contributed to this report.

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