Okinawa: Nine US soldiers were detained last week in the southern Okinawa prefecture on various violations, the Okinawa Times reported Wednesday. The Marines were detained during a joint US-Japan patrol early Saturday.

According to Anadolu Agency, three of the soldiers were detained on suspicion of “violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.” They were subsequently released to their unit representatives. This joint patrol was part of efforts by US forces and Japanese police to prevent sexual crimes involving US soldiers, a collaboration that began on April 18 for the first time since 1974.

The need for such patrols is underscored by past incidents. In June, Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton, 22, was sentenced to seven years in prison on sexual assault charges in Okinawa. Similarly, in December, a US Air Force member stationed in Japan was sentenced to five years for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 16.

Okinawa hosts 31 US-exclusive military facilities, making up 70.3% of such sites in Japan in terms of land area. The island accommodates roughly half of the 50,000 US troops stationed in the country under a security agreement. Numerous sexual assault cases involving US servicemembers in Japan have led to public outrage and calls for stricter oversight.