Col. David Banning speaks to service members about liberty restrictions during a joint patrol in Okinawa city, Okinawa, April 19, 2025. (Keishi Koja/Stars and Stripes)
OKINAWA CITY, Okinawa — A rare joint patrol of the nightlife area outside Kadena Air Base by U.S. military and Okinawa authorities ended early Saturday with a Marine colonel reminding U.S. service members they had broken curfew.
The patrol, launched amid simmering discontent over recent incidents involving U.S. troops, began at 10 p.m. in the Gate 2 Street entertainment district near Koza Music Town. It was the first of several planned patrols in response to sexual crimes allegedly involving U.S. service members.
Approximately 30 representatives from U.S. commands, including Maj. Gen. Brian Wolford of Marine Corps Installations Pacific, joined 20 Okinawa police officers and 50 members of local government and neighborhood associations.
“I saw a lot of surprised faces, which is good,” Wolford said during the patrol.
Senior commanders, enlisted leaders and military law enforcement personnel participated, Marine spokesman Wesley Hayes wrote in an email Monday.
“Joint patrols are one of many ways that the U.S. demonstrates commitment to cooperating with Japanese authorities,” he said.
American service members and local police patrol Gate 2 Street near Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, April 18, 2025. (Keishi Koja/Stars and Stripes)
The patrol concluded around 2:20 a.m. Saturday, exceeding the 1 a.m. alcohol curfew announced in September by then–U.S. Forces Japan commander Air Force Lt. Gen. Ricky Rupp. The Navy has set a midnight curfew for sailors.
Col. David Banning, who is in charge of training, operations and planning for Marine Corps Installations Pacific, stopped about 20 service members during the patrol — some in bars, some on the street, a few spilling drinks.
No disciplinary action will be taken against those stopped, Banning said.
“The goal is to make sure that everyone gets back to base safely, and everybody finishes the night uninjured and without causing a nuisance to anybody,” he said.
A strict ban on off-base activity “is very bad for everybody,” Banning added.
“It’s bad for the business owners, bad for the community, bad for the service members,” he said. “Nobody likes it when that happens. We have to find the right balance.”
The Okinawa Prefectural Police said this was the first joint patrol of its kind on the island since 1974. It follows heightened public concern over one conviction for sexual assault, one pending case, and another involving an attempted assault — all allegedly involving U.S. service members.
U.S. service members and local police patrol Chuo Park Avenue in Okinawa city, Okinawa, April 18, 2025. (Keishi Koja/Stars and Stripes)
The patrol was meant to send “a strong message that all parties involved are working together to protect the community and its citizens,” Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki said during a ceremony before the patrol began.
Representatives from Okinawa prefecture, Okinawa city, the Okinawa Defense Bureau and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs walked alongside members of USFJ, the Marine Corps’ installations command, III Marine Expeditionary Force, the Air Force’s 18th Wing and other units.
Calls for joint patrols began last summer under Rupp’s leadership, though Okinawa police initially resisted, citing concerns over U.S. military police jurisdiction off base.
Military police were present during the patrol but did not appear to actively enforce curfew violations.
Wolford said additional patrols are planned.
“We are going to work closely with all the mayors and Okinawa police to make sure we get the right timing, the right location, so we can have the best effect, so we can have a safe community,” he said.
The commander of Marine Corps Installations Pacific, Maj. Gen. Brian Wolford, and Mayor Daisuke Hanashiro, left, take part in a joint patrol of Okinawa city, Okinawa, April 18, 2025. (Keishi Koja/Stars and Stripes)
