US Air Force captain arrested in Japan

Japanese police arrested a 27-year-old U.S. Air Force captain, identified by The Mainichi as Omena Mushale, on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol in Okinawa on Saturday. According to The Mainichi, the arrest occurred at approximately 3:10 a.m. after officers on patrol spotted Mushale driving out of a parking lot in an entertainment district.

The Mainichi reports that Mushale partially denied the allegation, stating he believed it would be fine because his home was nearby. Gulf News reports that an Okinawa prefectural police spokesman stated the arrest took place at around 3:09 a.m. on a road in Okinawa City.

Mushale was assigned to Kadena Air Base, according to Kyodo News via Gulf News and The Mainichi. The arrest follows recent agreements between Tokyo and Washington to implement crime prevention measures on the island after a murder allegedly involving an American Marine triggered outrage, according to Channel News Asia and Gulf News.

The Mainichi notes that the U.S. military has implemented steps to tighten discipline following the October arrest of a serviceman for alleged robbery and murder in Naha. Gulf News reports that U.S. officials previously stated they would extend a curfew for lower-ranking service members through December 7 and ban all service members from drinking alcohol outside their homes between midnight and 5 a.m. It remains unclear if the captain violated these specific curfew measures, according to a police spokesman cited by Gulf News.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Channel News Asia, Gulf News, The Mainichi — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.