YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Base officials will decide Friday if servicemembers can resume dancing and drinking at Geodana Lounge, a popular off-base nightclub.
The club, in the "Honch" entertainment district near the base, was made off-limits to active-duty military on May 23 due to recent incidents involving serving alcohol past a Navy booze curfew and "to overly-intoxicated individuals," base security officer Lt. Paul Bradley said Monday.
The decision to place Geodana off-limits was made by the base’s Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board, Bradley said.
The board will meet with Geodana’s owner Friday to see if "corrective action" was taken and will decide if the restriction will be lifted or continued, Bradley said. Several attempts to contact the club’s owner on Monday were unsuccessful.
Currently, all active-duty Navy personnel in Japan are prohibited from publicly drinking alcohol after midnight on weekdays and after 2 a.m. on weekends and holidays, according to Commander U.S. Forces Japan policy.
While the base has no legal authority over private businesses, military patronage carries a lot of sway, said Judge Advocate General Lt. John Flynn.
When the base "makes the ultimate decision" to place a bar off-limits, "the local establishment will often strive to work with the installation commander to take corrective actions and make its establishment safe and appropriate for military personnel," Flynn said in an e-mail.
The base also works with the Yokosuka Social Saloon Association to develop "mutual cooperation and understanding," Bradley said.
In the past, other bars have been put off-limits, but Geodana is the only one currently with that status, Bradley said.
