US Marine arrested in Japan for assaulting restaurant waiter

A U.S. Marine Corps serviceman was arrested on November 3 in the city of Naha, the administrative centre of Japan’s southernmost prefecture, Okinawa, on suspicion of assaulting a local restaurant waiter, Caliber.Az reports, citing Japanese media.

According to police, the 37-year-old gunnery sergeant, stationed at the U.S. Marine logistics base Camp Kinser in the city of Urasoe (Okinawa Prefecture), allegedly attacked a waiter while intoxicated, grabbing him by the throat. The incident reportedly occurred well after midnight on the street outside the restaurant. Authorities are currently investigating the circumstances of the assault.

Okinawa, the southernmost of Japan’s major islands, hosts more than 70% of the total area of U.S. military facilities in the country, including Kadena Air Base — the largest U.S. Air Force installation outside the United States. Various incidents involving American servicemen occur regularly on the island, fuelling resentment among local residents.

By Vugar Khalilov