New liberty rules ban Japan-based troops from off-base drinking establishments after 1 a.m.

… <p class="storyline-p">Rupp, in a public message on July 22, said liberty policies were under review for all service branches in Japan after charges of sexual assault and attempted sexual assault were filed that month by Okinawa prosecutors against two service members in unrelated cases. </p> <p class="storyline-p">“The new Liberty Order applies consistent policies and expectations across the force and throughout Japan, yet commanders at echelon retain the authority to strengthen their liberty policy, when appropriate, to meet mission requirements,” USFJ spokesman Col. Greg Hignite told Stars and Stripes by email Monday. </p> <p class="storyline-p">Under the new regulations, no U.S. service member in Japan is permitted inside an off-base bar or “drinking establishment” between the hours of 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.</p> <p class="storyline-p">The order defines a drinking establishment as a business that may serve food or have other forms of entertainment, but “whose primary function is serving alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises.” </p> <p class="storyline-p">Pubs, taverns, nightclubs and izakayas fall into this category, according to the order. </p> <div class="inline-image landscape-image"> …