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Agence France-Presse

A US naval officer was arrested on Sunday for alleged drink-driving on Okinawa, where military personnel are already under curfew after a suspected rape and murder by an employee of a military base.
Naval officer Aimee Mejia, 21, who was arrested shortly after midnight, injured a local woman after driving the wrong way down a street, an Okinawa police spokesman said.
She hit an oncoming vehicle and bounced off it to collide with another, leaving the woman with a cracked breastbone, the spokesman added.
US forces in Okinawa under nighttime curfew during ‘period of mourning and unity’ after suspected rape and murder
“She was arrested on the spot for driving while intoxicated,” he said.
Public anger against the heavy US military presence on Okinawa was rekindled last month with the arrest of a former US Marine, who at the time was a base employee, in connection with the death of a 20-year-old woman.

The arrest led to a month-long nighttime curfew on US forces stationed on the island, as part of a “period of unity and mourning” over the killing.
Sunday’s arrest is expected to rekindle anger among Okinawans, who plan a major rally this month to protest against the military bases as well as the behaviour of personnel.
‘Anger is growing’: Okinawa murder prompts city councils to vote for smaller US bases
Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida lodged a protest with US ambassador Caroline Kennedy about the driving incident and she apologised, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The island of Okinawa was the scene of a second world war battle and is now considered a strategic linchpin. But the heavy burden of hosting US bases and soldiers has long been an irritant in the two countries’ relations.
Okinawa hosts more than half the 47,000 American military personnel in Japan under a decades-long security alliance.
A series of crimes including rapes, assaults and hit-and-run accidents by US military personnel, dependants and civilians have long sparked protests on the crowded island.


US officer arrested in Okinawa for drink-driving

Lieutenant general Lawrence D. Nicholson (centre), Commander of the US Marine Forces in Japan, and others observe a moment of silence to mourn the death of a 20-year-old Japanese woman allegedly killed by a US military worker in May 2016. Photo: Kyodo

Photo taken May 13, 2016, in Nago, Okinawa, shows a "peace march," held prior to the 44th anniversary on May 15 of Okinawa's reversion to Japan from the United States' control. The march continues through May 15 to show participants wish that lands used for U.S. military bases will also be reclaimed. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Naval officer Aimee Mejia, 21, who was arrested shortly after midnight, injured a local woman after driving the wrong way down a street


US officer arrested in Okinawa for drink-driving

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Naval officer Aimee Mejia, 21, who was arrested shortly after midnight, injured a local woman after driving the wrong way down a street

Naval officer Aimee Mejia, 21, who was arrested shortly after midnight, injured a local woman after driving the wrong way down a street