Jan 6, 2022: U.S. military bases in Japan introduced tougher COVID-19 measures Thursday when the government expressed grave concern about the rise in new infections and called for restrictions on the movement of U.S. personnel.

Japan is facing what some are calling the sixth wave of coronavirus infections, with some having the highest number of cases in months. An official has blamed U.S. military personnel for spreading the omicron type. The U.S. military says it is taking more drastic measures to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases in U.S. installations and throughout Japan, requiring U.S. military personnel to wear masks and conduct rigorous testing.

“The mitigation measures we have instituted are intended to protect our force’s readiness, the well-being of our families, and the health of Japan’s citizens,” the force said in a release.

“We recognise we all have a part to play in keeping our communities safe.”

There are more than 100,000 US service members, dependents and contractors in Japan.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi asked US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for US service members to be restricted to their bases, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters.

The southern prefecture of Okinawa, which hosts 70 percent of US military installations in Japan, is the epicenter of Japan’s latest cases and on Thursday called on the central government to impose new sanctions, known as quasi-emergency measures. Restrictions on restaurant and bar opening hours are included.

Announcing the request, Okinawa Governor Danny Tamaki said the number of new cases would rise to 980 on Thursday from 623 a day earlier. Tamaki told reporters this week that he was “outraged” by the inadequate control of infection control at US bases, which has allowed the spread of various types of omicron to the public.

The western prefecture of Hiroshima has announced that it will also request semi-emergency measures. There were various levels of emergency control in most parts of Japan until the lift on September 30 last year. Japan barred entry to almost all foreign travelers in late November when the World Health Organization listed Omicron as a form of concern.

But the U.S. military moves personnel in and out under a separate testing and quarantine system. A US Marine Corps station in Yamaguchi prefecture in western Japan said it had discovered 115 new cases on Wednesday after 182 on Wednesday.

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