Japan demands handover of U.S. rape suspect

Japan demands handover of U.S. rape suspect

TOKYO (AP): Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi called on the
United States on Thursday to make an "appropriate decision" as
soon as possible on the handover of an Air Force sergeant accused
of rape, while a local assembly on Okinawa denounced Washington
for trying to "shield" the suspect.

Koizumi made the remark shortly after returning to Tokyo from
a trip to the United States and Europe, according to spokesman
Kazuhiko Koshikawa.

"I hope the United States, understanding emotions here, will
make an appropriate decision quickly," Koshikawa quoted the prime
minister as saying.

Earlier in the day, defense chief Gen. Nakatani reiterated
Tokyo's call for the suspect, Timothy Woodland, to be turned over
to Japanese authorities as early as possible. He spoke in a
telephone conversation with U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul
Wolfowitz.

Nakatani told Wolfowitz delays in handing over Woodland, for
whom Okinawan police obtained an arrest warrant on Monday, would
lead to an "escalation of emotions" on Okinawa, according to
Defense Agency spokesman Ichiro Imaizumi.

Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka on Thursday spoke by phone with
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and requested a swift
handover, according to a ministry statement.

Okinawa's prefectural assembly, meanwhile, unanimously adopted
a resolution calling for the suspect's immediate handover.

"The recurrence of these crimes by American military personnel
is the result of the concentration of U.S. bases here," the
resolution said, calling for a review of a bilateral pact on the
legal status of American troops in Japan.

"Even with a heinous crime such as this, the Americans use the
pact as a shield to continue denying our requests for the suspect
to be handed over," it said.

Police believe Woodland, a staff sergeant stationed at
Okinawa's Kadena Air Base, raped a local woman last week in the
parking lot of a popular tourist area. Woodland, who has denied
the allegations, has been taken in every day for police
questioning but remains under military custody.

The alleged rape has underscored long-simmering frustrations
on Okinawa over the status of the 26,000 American military
personnel based there.

Under the bilateral Status of Forces Agreement, military
suspects need not be turned over to local police until formal
charges are filed.

But huge protests following the rape of a 12-year-old
schoolgirl by three U.S. servicemen in 1995 prompted Washington
to agree to consider handing over suspects before charges are
filed.

The first such handover was made in 1996, when an American was
suspected of attempted murder near Nagasaki. He was later
convicted and sentenced to 13 years in prison.

Police on Okinawa say they want Woodland turned over to them
because they want to wrap up their investigation as soon as
possible. But Washington has stressed that the issue is
complicated, and that Woodland's rights must be protected.

As is customary in Japan, no defense attorney has been present
during the questioning of Woodland so far, according to Okinawa
police spokesman Akira Namihira. An interpreter has been
provided.

If turned over to Okinawan authorities, Woodland, whose
hometown has not been released, would likely be tried in a
Japanese court, and face several years in a Japanese prison if
convicted. Japan's conviction rate for cases that go to trial is
more than 95 percent.

In its resolution, the Okinawa assembly noted that the small
island on Japan's southern fringe bears most of the burden of
hosting the nearly 50,000 U.S. troops in this country.
Similar criticism was voiced in Japan's media.

"Considering the mood on Okinawa, turning over the accused
airman to local jurisdiction would seem only natural," said an
editorial in the Asahi, a major newspaper. "Crimes by U.S.
military people add to resentment against the military bases."