The colorful neon signs still blaze at bars outside Kadena Air Base, but the front doors are shut and there are no Americans in sight in the normally bustling Okinawa entertainment district.

It's a scene that's become commonplace at off-base watering holes frequented by U.S. forces across Japan since a curfew was imposed last Friday on all American military personnel following the alleged assault and rape of an Okinawan woman by two U.S. sailors.

But being inside the gates doesn't mean troops are heading home for warm milk and an early bedtime. Business is booming at on-base clubs, which are hiring more bar staff and even extending hours to cope with a massive influx of patrons seeking late-night entertainment.

For Tsutomu Arakaki, owner of Amazonesu, one of the oldest bars near Kadena, it's a little too much déjà vu. A similar curfew 14 years ago forced him to shut down for a year. Now he's planning to collect signatures on a petition seeking compensation from the Japanese government for losses caused by the latest crackdown.