An accident involving a 21 year old US Marine, killed a Japanese man in a truck collision. The US marine was over the legal alcohol limit for driving. The deadly crash happened at the Okinawa Island and the incident has led to an order for the US troops in Okinawa to stay on base or at home. The truck was crashed by the Marine in to a minivan on November 19, 2017 which killed a local driver of the other vehicle.
More than half of the US troops have been hosted by Okinawa in Japan and even the locals have been unhappy with the presence of the military since long. The US military confirmed the incident saying that one of its servicemen was involved in the incident and that alcohol might have been a factor. Another announcement was made by the US military saying mandatory training will be conducted for responsible alcohol use, acceptable behavior and risk management.
William Hagerty the US ambassador to Japan expressed his condolences and even offered an apology. A police official informed that the Japanese man was pronounced dead later while the US serviceman, suffered scratches. The police has said that the Marine has been arrested and has been charged with negligent driving resulting in death. The presence of the US military in southern Japan is an important part of the security alliance between the US and Japan. The base has about 26,000 US troops.
The residents of Okinawa have never been happy about the presence of the US military and believe that they have been burdened to support the US military presence in Japan. Many of the residents want the air base to be removed completely. In 1995, there was an incident when a 12 year old girl was gang-raped by the US troops. Such crimes and accidents have made the residents even more reluctant.
Photo Credits:Press TV
