July 12, 2020

The U.S. Marine Corps in Okinawa as measures to deal with COVID-19 has been isolating those who tested positive and who just entered Japan at an off-base hotel in Chatan Town in Okinawa.

Chatan Town Mayor Noguni Masaharu on July 10 voiced a protest, claiming that the isolation measures are causing fear among townspeople. The mayor visited the Okinawa Defense Bureau to make a request to the U.S. military that the isolation measures be conducted on the base.

The Okinawa Prefectural government also made a similar request to the U.S. forces in Okinawa. The Okinawa Prefectural Assembly in its unanimous resolution demanded that infected personnel be isolated on-base and that U.S. personnel refrain from going off base.

According to the Chatan Town mayor, officials of the Okinawa Defense Bureau did not know how many servicemen came to Okinawa or how many of them are staying at the hotel in question.