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Kyodo

A civilian worker at a United States base in Okinawa Prefecture was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving following a two-car collision early on Sunday morning.
Okinawa prefectural police released the name of the suspect as Francis Shayquain Elijah. The 24-year-old resident of Okinawa City was allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol near her home outside the base around 4.30am.
The arrest comes amid increased efforts to strengthen discipline among personnel linked to US bases in the southwestern Japan prefecture, which hosts the bulk of US military facilities in Japan.

               
                  The US military struggles to win hearts and minds in Okinawa as thousands protest woman’s murder
               
            
The suspect, an employee of a shop at a US military base, denied the allegation, saying she had not consumed alcohol since the previous day, according to the police.
A breath test administered by local police indicated a blood-alcohol level four times the legal limit.
The US military had prohibited its service members in the prefecture from drinking alcohol off base and outside their houses to strengthen discipline following the alleged murder and rape of a 20-year-old Okinawa woman by a US civilian base worker earlier this year.

               
The US military had also encouraged workers on its bases in the prefecture to adhere to the ban, initially imposed until June 24 and later extended to June 28.
Police arrested the suspect after her vehicle collided with a car driven by a man at an intersection. The male driver was taken to a hospital.
Earlier this month, a US Navy sailor was also arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and injuring two people in Okinawa. 
The alleged murder and rape fueled anger among local residents, with tens of thousands of people attending a rally a week ago to protest crimes committed by US military personnel.


The US military struggles with discipline as base worker in Okinawa is arrested on suspicion of drink driving

Anti-US base protesters shout slogans at a rally in front of the National Diet building in Tokyo. Photo: AP

(160619) -- NAHA (JAPAN), June 19, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Protestors hold placards during the rally for the women murdered by U.S. military personnel in Okinawa, in a park in Naha, the capital city of Okinawa, Japan, June 19, 2016. Tens of thousands of protestors took to the streets of Okinawa in Japan's southernmost Prefecture on Sunday to express their ongoing anger at the disproportionate presence of U.S. military personnel on the island and the crimes committed by them, in particular the brutal rape and murder of a local women by a base-linked worker recently. (Xinhua/Shen Honghui) (cl)

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The US military struggles with discipline as base worker in Okinawa is arrested on suspicion of drink driving

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