BAC of Marine involved in fatal Okinawa crash was triple Japans limit, police say

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Source: Stars and Stripes

TOKYO An Okinawa-based Marines blood-alcohol content was triple Japans legal limit Sunday when his vehicle collided with a minitruck, killing its Japanese driver, police say.

The Marine was slightly injured in the 5:30 a.m. JST crash at a Naha intersection, Okinawa policeman Kazuhiko Miyagi told The Associated Press.

The victim a 61-year-old man was making a turn when his vehicle was hit by the servicemembers truck, which was coming in the opposite direction, Japanese media reports said. Witness accounts say the Japanese driver had the right of way, and that the Marine may have gone through a red light.

Miyagi told AP that a breath test indicated the servicemember had a blood-alcohol level that was three times Japans legal limit of 0.03 percent.

Read more: https://www.stripes.com/bac-of-marine-involved-in-fatal-okinawa-crash-was-triple-japan-s-limit-police-say-1.498560

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(Article) By AARON KIDD STARS AND STRIPES
Published: November 19, 2017


A Japanese driver's damaged vehicle is placed at a police station in Naha, Okinawa, southern Japan Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017. Police on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa are investigating a fatal traffic accident that occurred Sunday when a truck driven by a U.S. Marine collided with the small truck at an intersection, killing the Japanese driver of the other vehicle.
KAZUKI SAWADA/KYODO NEWS VIA AP

[Not Ruth]

1. Life in prison would be too kind

[left-of-center2012]

4. Here in New Mexico ...

I recall a news story of a man who drove drunk,
crashed,
killing his passenger.

He got three years.
Incredible!

[Irish_Dem]

8. Should be third degree murder. Driving drunk should be an automatic felony. nt

[Old Crank]

2. Status of forces agreement

What will happen will be based on the Status of Forces Agreement. It is likely that the US driver will be shipped out and face no charges in Okinawa. One of the reasons people in Okinawa dislike the US Military and had demonstrations against new base building there.

[Sam McGee]

12. Maybe not

Under the US-Japan SOFA, the Japanese can petition for the Marine to be released to them for arrest, investigation, trial, punishment, etc., even for crimes committed on a US military base.

There is more than one American service member in Japanese jails. I was stationed at Yokota Air Base, Japan, 1990-93. Young airman killed another airman in an off-base apartment -- he got 20 years in Japanese jail. Quite a few young sailors around Yokosuka Naval Base have learned what the inside of a Japanese courtroom and jail look like. Ditto for Marines on Okinawa.

[Irish_Dem]

3. The people of Okinawa have had it with Americans living on their island.

Americans have been there in a very heavy presence for many decades.
And worn out their welcome.

[left-of-center2012]

5. "for many decades"

70! Since the end of WW II.

[Irish_Dem]

6. Wow, yes since end of WWII. Time flies...

I was there in the early 1960's.
Amazing the island didn't sink with the amount of personnel, artillery, planes, trucks, etc.

[left-of-center2012]

7. "I was there in the early 1960's"

So was my brother, in the late 60's.

[Irish_Dem]

9. Where on Okinawa was he posted?

In the early 60's Okinawa was loaded to the gills with military personnel heading to Viet Nam.
LST's loaded almost daily.
And the island was pretty primitive.
WWII still in evidence with the beach bunkers, food rations sitting in the sand, etc.

[left-of-center2012]

10. I don't have a clue.

I don't think he ever mentioned where exactly,
and he passed away in 2005.

He was in Vietnam in 1972.
Another brother of mine was there (Vietnam) in 1970.

[Irish_Dem]

11. Okinawa was a staging location for the Viet Nam war.

It had a huge Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force presence.
My father was flying combat in Viet Nam, planes based in Okinawa for safety purposes.
We were there in the early 1960's so you can see how early the war started.

[keithbvadu2]

13. American servicemen in Japanese prisons

https://www.google.com/search?q=american+servicemen+in+japanese+prisons&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1