“We mourn together … this is about honoring the victim and sharing grief with the Okinawan people”. The restrictions will run until 24 June.
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Many associate the bases with crime.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe raised the woman’s death with US President Barack Obama ahead of the recent G7 summit in Japan.
The 30,000 USA troops will not be allowed to drink alcohol off-base, and visiting clubs and bars is prohibited.
“This period of unity and mourning will include the postponement of all festivals, celebrations and concerts on our bases and stations”, he added.
The Marine Corps commander in Japan said Saturday the measures are not punishment but an effort to show respect for the victim’s family and mourn with the people of Okinawa. “I welcome open communications with the Okinawan community and if we’re saying something in there that you think is unfair, then let’s have a discussion”.
“My request to the people of Okinawa is simple; please do not allow this awful act of violence to drive a wedge between our two communities”, said Nicholson.
Media said alcohol consumption outside bases would be prohibited among military personnel and their families along with civilians employed by the military, while they would also be required to observe a midnight curfew.
The restrictions are an attempt to quell public fury in Okinawa following the alleged rape of a woman in Naha by a US sailor in March and the alleged murder of a woman by a former marine in the city of Uruma last month.
The body of the 20-year-old woman, missing since April, was found at a location he gave.
The Okinawa Prefectural Police arrested a suspect connected with her disappearance on May 19, 2016. Under Japanese law, he can be held for 21 days before charges are filed.
A Japan-wide curfew for US servicemembers has been in effect since late 2012 following the rape of an Okinawa woman by two visiting Navy sailors, and other liberty restrictions were imposed on Okinawa.
In 1995, the abduction and rape of a 12-year-old girl by three United States servicemen triggered huge protests, prompting Washington to pledge efforts to strengthen troop discipline to prevent such crimes and reduce the USA footprint on the island.
Okinawa, the site of a brutal World War Two battle, hosts 50,000 U.S. nationals, including 30,000 military personnel and civilians employed at USA bases, and many residents resent what they see as an unfair burden.
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The arrest comes as tensions are already high over a plan to relocate a Marine Corps air station to a less-populated part of Okinawa.
