WASHINGTON – A US Navy sailor stationed on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa has been detained by Japanese police on suspicion of drunken driving, US forces-Japan said, in an incident likely to fuel further resentment of the heavy US military presence in the region.
The statement, seen by Reuters on Sunday, said a vehicle driven by the sailor had been involved in a “serious three-car accident with injuries” on Saturday and that US Navy officials were fully cooperating with police in Okinawa.
A US official said the person detained was a 21-year-old female sailor.
The incident comes as the US military observes a 30-day period of mourning at its bases on Okinawa, where an American civilian working at a US military base was arrested last month on suspicion of dumping the body of a 20-year-old Japanese woman.
That incident stoked anger in Japan, prompting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to protest the killing during talks with US President Barack Obama ahead of the Group of Seven summit in central Japan.
