Curfew imposed on U.S. military in Japan

TOKYO, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- A curfew was imposed Wednesday on U.S. military stationed in Japan following a string of incidents involving U.S. service personnel.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry said the curfew includes not only U.S. military but also their relatives and non-military staff, Kyodo News reported.

U.S. service personnel came under fire after a U.S. Marine was arrested for allegedly raping a junior high school girl. Other recent incidents include a Marine arrested for drunken driving in Okinawa and another Marine was arrested for trespassing after he was allegedly found unconscious in a private resident in Nago.

Soldiers living off-base can travel between their posts and homes by car, taxi and military-provided transportation under terms of the curfew.

U.S. military officials designated Friday as a "Day of Reflection" for all military facilities in Japan and set a Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Task Force as part of its efforts to ensure similar incidents don't happen again, Kyodo reported.