Police in Okinawa have arrested a US air force member for drinking and driving.
Police say the arrested man is Christopher Aaron Platte, a 27-year-old technical sergeant at the US Kadena Air Base in the southern prefecture. He is suspected to have been driving under the influence in Chatan Town at around 4 AM on Monday.
Police say the serviceman denies he was drinking.
Last Tuesday, the US military in Okinawa lifted a restriction that ordered service members not to drink outside of military facilities.
The measures were set in late May following the killing of a 20-year-old Japanese woman. An American civilian worker at the US Kadena Air Base was arrested on suspicion of murder.
With regular rules restored, off-base drinking is allowed until midnight and all US military personnel and civilian employees can stay out until 1 AM.
Source and image: NHK
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