Police on Okinawa are investigating the cause of the collision that left a U.S. airman in a coma on Oct. 18, 2025. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
A U.S. airman was in a coma Monday after his motorcycle collided with a compact car at an Okinawa intersection early Friday, police said.
The 33-year-old airman was traveling south from Kadena town toward Naha city on Route 58 when the crash happened at 12:13 a.m. in the Isa area of Ginowan, a city police spokesman said by phone Monday.
The car, driven by a 26-year-old Okinawan man, was turning right from the opposite lane, the spokesman said. Both men were taken to a hospital in central Okinawa.
The airman, whose name was not released, suffered a brain hemorrhage and a broken pelvis and remained in a coma as of Monday, the spokesman said. The car’s driver sustained a head injury and has been released from the hospital.
Police are investigating the cause of the crash, the spokesman said. Some Japanese government officials may speak to the press only on condition of anonymity.
The 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base acknowledged email and phone inquiries Monday but did not immediately provide a response.
AloJapan.com