Do you think the curfew on U.S. military personnel in Japan is a good idea?

It has to happen.

These guys are military, they are not tourists.

They have to be battle ready at all times.

Who knows when the Chinese or the North Koreans will attack?

Or natural disaster emergencies. But that hasn't stopped the JSDF.

Who knows when the Chinese or the North Koreans will attack?

Perhaps I should have mentioned that this statement was pure sarcasm, as I can't imagine any possibility of China attacking Japan and if North Korea attacks, umbrellas will provide sufficient protection.

If they aren't going to act like responsible adults, then yes, the curfew is a good idea. By "responsible" I mean looking out for each other and not letting someone get so blitzed that they go on a rampage. There's always going to be those who can't control their drinking, and those are the ones you should be riding herd on. Until the servicemen get back to doing that, the curfew makes perfect sense.

If these soldiers keep on drinking and always drunk then we can not use them when the China attack.

realmind-san,

I don't think so many of them are drunk all the time. As several people have pointed out, it's only a few who get drunk and do stupid things.

At the same time, some of the stupid things they do are very bad, so, as Fadamor says, until they learn to look out for each other and act responsibly, the curfew and the clampdown on drinking is a good idea.

An armed force without discipline is a mob.

And as for China attacking, you don't need to worry.

Why would they do that?

Even if they took Okinawa by force, what would it gain them?

Nothing.

China is not going to attack.

Hahaha, without local deterrence, China would've occupied the Diaoyu Islands by now (like they did with part of Scarborough Shoal right after the U.S. left Subic) - and dared the Japanese to attack and take it back by force.

I'm one of the 40 out of the 114 votes on this who voted no. It's not fair to the vast majority of military people who behave themselves. Up the punishment for the offenders!

Whether it's a good idea depends on what the purpose of the ban is. If the ban is intended to have any meaningful impact on reducing crimes committed by soldiers, then it's a bad idea because it is impossible to enforce and those who want to will drink anyway. If on the other hand the purpose is to appease the Japanese by taking one out of the Japanese Playbook, so to speak, and to simply announce something that sounds good to please the public when in fact the policy is substantively empty and useless, then it is a good idea. In short, it is a good PR move. I refer to the Japanese Playbook because this PR move was taken directly out of the "When in Doubt, Form over Substance" chapter.

I've got a few friends getting ready to deploy to the middle east and they're THRILLED to be getting out of Japan. Where they are going there is NO ALCOHOL, no civilian clothes, no days off, and people are trying to kill you every day, but they'd rather be there than here.

@Ronald -

but they'd rather be [in the middle east] than [Japan].

Why?

And as for China attacking, you don't need to worry.

Why would they do that?

Even if they took Okinawa by force, what would it gain them?

Nothing.

China is not going to attack.

I'm constantly amazed at the total lack of awareness by Okinawans of their predicament. We have mainland China which experienced a communist takeover shortly after WWII ended, we have Taiwan - where the former Cinese republic fled to when communism overtook the mainland and which communist China considers to be a rebel province that won't see the err of their ways, and we have Okinawa - convieniently located in a position ideally suited to bring pressure to bear on Taiwan from another direction. While Okinawa will never have the ability to operate on its own as a sovereign nation, it's a GREAT place to stage an assault on another nearby country. With Japan in control of Okinawa, Taiwan has less to fear than if China moved in.

Despite what most Okinawans apparently think, repeatedly stating that their island is not important does NOT make it true. It's just a meaningless mantra based on wishful thinking.

Curfew itself would resolve nothing. They have to realize they have a special status and have to behave in a especially civilized manner. I would like them to be happy in Okinawa. Setting the curfew and banning alcohol should be temporary.

If they aren't going to act like responsible adults, then yes, the curfew is a good idea. By "responsible" I mean looking out for each other and not letting someone get so blitzed that they go on a rampage. There's always going to be those who can't control their drinking, and those are the ones you should be riding herd on. Until the servicemen get back to doing that, the curfew makes perfect sense.

I agree. You hear of stories all the time about drunk military doing bad things. But actually I hear more stories about drunk policemen doing bad things. So my proposal would be to ban all policemen from drinking between 10:00pm and 8:00am and set a curfew. Sure it's just a few bad eggs that spoil the bunch, but you have to say they brought it on themselves.

I agree with Serrano- it is not fair to suffer because of few rotten apples. Just introduce more severe punishment for those who misbehave , like sending them home immediately or deploying them to a war zone.

Make the drinking age 20 like Japanese law.

2020 I like that idea.

Make the drinking age 20 like Japanese law.

??? That would make things worse. The legal age to drink alcohol in the States (and on U.S. bases) is 21. You can vote at age 18 but you can't drink a beer until you are 21.

The crime rate for us military personnel in Japan is lower than 1 crime for every 7,500 persons. There are roughly 100,000 U.S. military personnel in Japan. So how many incidents have you heard about on the news? Let’s see... I would say maybe about 12-15 serious offenses in the past 8 years. I am in no way saying that any of these crimes are ok or should go unpunished. Just look at the numbers. Ok, so you say "Well they are military, they are held to higher standards, they are not tourists here." You are right! All of those things are correct.

The military does screen who they send to be stationed over seas. Unfortunately some people do slip through the cracks. In every large number of people you are bound to have a few bad apples. That is just how the world is unfortunately.

As for the curfew I completely understand why they did it. Will it help? I don't think so. Those "Bad apples" will always try and find a way to do what they want. That is with any race, any group of people, military or not.

JapanGal

Make the drinking age 20 like Japanese law.

??? The drinking age for American servicemen here in Japan IS 20.

I have very mixed feelings regarding this. My experiences while stationed in Japan from 1975 through 1980 were truly enlightening. Had there been curfews, restrictions etc. I do not feel I would have grown as I did. I feel blessed that I had the opportunity to absorb some wonderful cultural habits and carry them forward to this day. This includes my morning meal of Natto and rice! I did not then nor do I now understand what drives one to act so inappropriately especially when one is a "guest" in another local. As I was and currently am, I am embarrassed by the actions of these GI's and offer my deepest apologies.

Get READY for a LOT MORE " FOR RENT " Signs going UP ! LOTS more UN-Employment, and a LOT more people applying for Government Assistance "...yeah; what a GREAT idea. "Rotsa' RUCK " .

Local business in the various cities that host US bases are already requesting their mayors to put pressure on USFJ to lift the curfew and drinking ban. As long as they understand that if they want the military's business back they can't expect the unrealistic and impossible: zero incidents.

same restrictions as on a submarine, battleship or carrier should work

Curfew is not enough. Only good Americans are being punished. Everyone must be treated equally. If the U.S. cannot control the few then more sever restrictions should be enacted. No SOFA personnel allowed off base.