Two U.S. Marines in Okinawa Prefecture were warned by police Thursday for carrying rifles in a civilian area, police said Friday.
Based at the U.S. military's Makiminato Service Area in Urasoe in the south of the prefecture, the two reportedly told police they were carrying the unloaded rifles because they were on duty.
They explained their actions by saying they were lost, adding they had only been assigned to the area for six months, according to police.
Police said the two had been in a truck that was part of a convoy bound for the Makiminato base after a drill held in the northern part of the prefecture. They reportedly strayed from the group in Naha and became lost.