After seven years of requiring Marines stationed on Okinawa to be at least 21 years of age to drink alcohol legally, the Marine Corps has lowered the drinking age to 20. The new drinking age, set Sept. 11, aligns the Marines with other U.S. service members on the island as well as with Japanese residents. The minimum age for Marines was set to 21 in 1999 after several Marines were involved in violent, alcohol-related incidents. The new edict affects some 20,000 Marines on the island.