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."