World News | Japan's Foreign Minister Regrets COVID Outbreak at US Military Base in Okinawa: Reports

Tokyo [Japan], December 22 (ANI/Sputnik): Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed his regrets to the commander of US Forces Japan, Ricky Rupp, that American military personnel did not take COVID-19 tests before arriving in Japan, leading to an outbreak at the military base, the Japanese news agency Kyodo news reported on Wednesday.

The minister noted that American troops were not tested for COVID-19 before their flight to Japan. They underwent preliminary tests a few days after their arrival at US base Camp Hansen in Okinawa.

Also Read | Japanese Space Tourist Yusaku Maezawa Says He Would Love Longer Flight to International Space Station.

Last week, a Japanese employee of the base was diagnosed with Omicron. Later it was discovered that a cluster of infections had been recorded among the soldiers who had recently arrived. The number of infections at the base reached 223 by Wednesday with four confirmed cases of Omicron.

The Japanese government and the Okinawa prefectural government on Monday urged the American command not to allow employees and military personnel to leave the base to quell the spread of the outbreak. Nevertheless, one American soldier was arrested on Tuesday for driving drunk while off base. (ANI/Sputnik)

Also Read | Taliban Ban Use of Women’s Photos in Advertisements in Kabul.

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)