Substitute drivers in Okinawa have started giving U.S. service members a ride home inside bases to reduce incidences of drunken driving in a first in Japan.

The Okinawa prefectural branch of Japan's substitute driver service association concluded an exclusive contract to start the operation with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, which provides restaurant and other services on U.S. bases.

The organization, known as AAFES, wants to expand the service in other prefectures that host U.S. bases, with an eye to starting a substitute driver service in Kanagawa Prefecture as well, according to the prefectural branch.