[by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]¸ü¶àÌýÁ¦Çë·ÃÎÊ51VOA.COM [00:00.16]The United States Navy says it has banned its work force in Japan [00:06.04]from drinking alcohol and limited most of their activities to Navy bases. [00:12.60]The announcement came after a U.S. sailor on the Japanese island of Okinawa [00:19.20]was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. [00:23.56]Okinawa residents have demanded the removal of U.S. bases [00:28.60]after several incidents involving armed forces members in recent months. [00:34.76]The latest incident happened Sunday night. [00:38.65]Japanese police arrested Petty Officer 2nd Class Aimee Mejia [00:44.64]after she reportedly drove on the wrong side of a road. [00:49.56]She crashed her car into two vehicles, [00:53.12]injuring two people, a police spokesman said. [00:57.80]Mejia was not hurt, the Associated Press reported. [01:02.36]Following the incident, U.S. sailors throughout Japan [01:06.76]have been banned from drinking alcohol indefinitely, [01:11.20]the Navy said in a statement. [01:14.16]"These [incidents] are not taken lightly," [01:17.36]said Rear Admiral Matthew Carter. [01:20.96]"For decades, we have enjoyed a strong relationship with the people of Japan." [01:27.48]The U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy, [01:31.92]offered her regrets to the family of those injured in the accident. [01:37.84]The U.S. Navy had already ordered all sailors to return to their bases by midnight, local time. [01:46.32]The Navy also banned all off-base drinking after a former U.S. Marine, [01:52.36]who worked on an American military base in Japan, was arrested last month. [01:58.12]That Marine was suspected of involvement in the disappearance of a Japanese woman. [02:04.88]Police believe that she was raped and murdered. [02:09.40]In March, a U.S. sailor was arrested on charges of raping a Japanese woman in Okinawa. [02:17.60]Three U.S. servicemen were found guilty in the rape of a schoolgirl in 1995. [02:24.72]That case angered many Japanese. [02:29.04]I'm Jonathan Evans.