{"id":75469,"date":"2020-07-14T11:16:15","date_gmt":"2020-07-14T11:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/07\/14\/japan-us-military-coronavirus-policy-has-multiple-problems\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T14:23:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:23:18","slug":"japan-us-military-coronavirus-policy-has-multiple-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2020\/07\/14\/japan-us-military-coronavirus-policy-has-multiple-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan: US military coronavirus policy has multiple problems"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editor\u2019s note: This story has been updated with a comment from the Marines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TOKYO \u2014 Japan\u2019s defense minister said Tuesday that officials have discovered \u201ca number of problems\u201d with U.S. military measures to guard against the coronavirus among service members stationed in Japan after 95 Marines tested positive <\/a>at several bases on the southern island of Okinawa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okinawan officials on Sunday said most of the cases since early July were at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma,<\/a> which is at the center of a relocation dispute. Others were at Camp Hansen, Camp Kinser and Camp McTureous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have discovered a number of problems,\u201d Defense Minister Taro Kono said. \u201cWe need to more strictly scrutinize the situation with the U.S. military in Japan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kono said the problems were discovered after Japanese officials requested information from the U.S. military. He refused to give details, but said the problems exist at U.S. bases throughout Japan, not just on Okinawa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a possible indication of one of the problems, Kono said Japanese officials are inspecting a hotel used by the U.S. military to house service members newly assigned to Okinawa from the U.S. while they undergo a 14-day self-quarantine.<\/p>\n\n\n\t