Japan demands review of U.S.-Japan deal on troops

Japan demands review of U.S.-Japan deal on troops

TOKYO (AP): Angered by U.S. delays in handing over an American serviceman suspected of rape, a parliamentary committee on Tuesday adopted a resolution demanding a review of the agreement governing U.S. troops in Japan.

The resolution, passed by the lower house foreign affairs committee, criticized the U.S. military for failing to prevent crimes by troops stationed in Japan and demanded measures to ensure the swift handover of U.S. servicemen accused of crimes.

"The U.S. military has taken steps to prevent a recurrence of crimes ... but they have hardly been effective enough," the committee wrote.

The committee's decision reflects long-simmering anger over military-related crimes and comes less than a week after the United States agreed to transfer Air Force Staff Sgt. Timothy Woodland to Japanese police on Okinawa. Woodland was arrested last Friday on suspicion of raping a 20-year-old woman on April 29 outside a bar. He has denied the charges.

Japanese police were allowed to interrogate Woodland immediately after the alleged assault. But U.S. officials resisted giving local police full custody of Woodland for four days because of concerns about his rights under Japan's criminal justice system.

Under a U.S.-Japan agreement -- called the Status of Forces Agreement -- the United States has the final say over whether a crime suspect can be handed over to Japanese police before indictment.

Woodland was only the second American serviceman to be turned over to Japanese police before charges were filed.

The first case was in 1995, when three American servicemen were charged with raping a 12-year-old schoolgirl. The anti- military protests that followed prompted the United States to agree to turn over some military suspects in major crimes before charges are filed.

The agreement, however, does not specify how quickly U.S. officials must respond -- a point which the parliamentary resolution seeks to clarify.

An Okinawan court has given Japanese police until July 17 to file charges against Woodland. Until then, police are expected to continue interrogating him without offering bail. An interpreter will be present during questioning, but his lawyer will not.

American officials' concerns over the Japanese justice systems center on the rights of suspects. Defense lawyers generally are not given access to their clients until after charges are filed.

Prosecutors rely heavily on confessions for evidence, and more than 95 percent of suspects whose cases go to trial are convicted.

If convicted, Woodland could spend a minimum of two years in the same prison where three servicemen found guilty of raping a 12-year-old schoolgirl in 1995 are being held.

Yokosuka Prison, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Tokyo, is the only facility in Japan where U.S. troops convicted of breaking Japanese laws are sent. Healthy inmates are expected to work, from dawn to dusk, in print or metal shops or doing prison-related chores. Inspections are frequent and discipline strict.

In its resolution, the committee said the delays kindled animosity and distrust among Japanese people living on the southern island of Okinawa toward the 26,000 U.S. troops stationed there. Residents have long complained of crowding, noise and the danger of military-related accidents.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has said he wants to find ways to make the existing U.S.-Japan agreement work better. He has resisted demands to revise the agreement, saying that such an action must be part of broader talks involving U.S. bases elsewhere, including South Korea and Germany.

The U.S. ambassador to Japan, former Sen. Howard H. Baker, told national broadcaster NHK in an interview on Monday that Washington would consider Japan's concerns.

Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka told the lower house committee Tuesday that the two countries have discussed the possibility of changes in the past. " Both sides are doing their best to reduce the burden of hosting U.S. troops on the people of Okinawa," she said, without elaborating.