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The indefinite curfew took effect at 7:30 am (2230 GMT Tuesday) in the wake of calls from Japanese leaders for stricter discipline on the more than 40,000 US troops in the country, half of whom are stationed in Okinawa.
Marine Corps Lieutenant General Richard Zilmer, the top US commander in Okinawa, has ordered all members of the military and their families to stay on their bases or off-base residences until further notice.
"Active duty service members on Okinawa will be limited to their place of duty or employment, worship, education or medical or dental treatment" as they enter a "period of reflection," a military statement said.
It will "allow commanders and all service members an opportunity to further review procedures and orders that govern the discipline and conduct of all US service members serving in Okinawa," it said.
The US military has imposed night curfews on troops before and many US troops in Okinawa were already under orders to be back on base by midnight.
But it is rare for restrictions to be in place around the clock and to include families. A US military spokesman said it was unclear when such drastic action was last taken.
"The US military and its commanders take very seriously all incidents and allegations involving misconduct by service members," the military statement added.
The US troops are based in Japan under a security treaty to protect Washington's key Asian ally, which has been officially pacifist since World War II.
In another bid to calm public anger, the US military said it would hold a "day of reflection" for all forces across Japan on Friday.
The Japanese government welcomed the curfew.
"We value this," chief government spokesman Nobutaka Machimura told reporters, while adding, "We need further concrete preventive measures."
In a separate statement, the Japanese government said it "appreciates" the "strict measures" taken by the US military.
"We will hold close consultations between Japan and the United States so that the US side will devise appropriate longer-term measures to prevent a recurrence," the statement said.
A US Marine was arrested last week on allegations that he raped a 14-year-old girl in Okinawa, home to half of the US troops in Japan, leading Japanese leaders to demand tighter discipline for troops.
Staff Sergeant Tyrone Luther Hadnott, 38, has admitted trying to forcibly kiss the girl but denied raping her.
Thomas Schieffer, the US ambassador to Japan, quickly flew to Okinawa to offer a personal apology for the incident and pledged new training for troops.
But within days, Okinawa police arrested two more Marines, with one allegedly driving while drunk and the other accused of stumbling into a stranger's house and passing out intoxicated.
Meanwhile, the US military took an army member into custody in the middle of this month for an alleged sexual assault on a Philippine woman in Okinawa, Kyodo News said Wednesday, citing investigative sources.
Prefectural police plan to seek an arrest warrant on suspicion that he raped the woman, based on a claim filed by her, Kyodo said.
Japanese media also reported Tuesday that US authorities detained a Marine for allegedly distributing counterfeit 20-dollar bills in Okinawa.
Okinawa saw mass protests in 1995 after three US servicemen gang-raped a 12-year-old girl, setting in motion a process to reduce the number of soldiers on the island.
Protests have so far been small after the latest incidents, but Japan has promised to raise its concerns with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice when she visits next week.
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