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.