Okinawa demands imposition of curfew for U.S. troops

Okinawa demands imposition of curfew for U.S. troops

TOKYO (AFP): Civic leaders in Okinawa on Wednesday urged the
U.S. and Japanese governments to impose a midnight curfew and
create off-limits areas for U.S. troops on their island after a
series of alleged crimes involving servicemen.

Okinawa's court, meanwhile, rejected a plea for bail from a
U.S. airman, who was indicted last week on charges of raping a
local woman, a case which has rekindled anger towards the huge
U.S. military presence on the island.

Presiding judge Midori Takamatsu said there was fear that the
suspect, Staff Sergeant Timothy Woodland, 24, would destroy
evidence.

But Woodland's Japanese lawyer Tsuyoshi Arakaki told reporters
that he would consider filing a complaint with the district court
as the reason for the rejection could not be understood.

The 24-strong municipal assembly in Okinawa City, which hosts
the sprawling Kadena U.S. Air Base, unanimously approved a draft
resolution and sent it to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi,
Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka and U.S. Ambassador to Japan
Howard Baker.

"People in Okinawa are outraged by crimes committed by U.S.
military personnel," said the draft which was worked out after
Saturday's arrest of two U.S. military personnel -- an airman and
a marine -- for separate cases of vandalism.

"Despite our strong protests, the United States has failed to
take effective measures to prevent such a crime from happening
again," the draft said.

"Under such a circumstance, we need to take measures for self-
defense that include creating off-limits areas and imposing a
curfew on U.S. servicemen," it added.

The draft also demanded that the United States compensate
victims and reduce its military presence in Okinawa, which hosts
25,000 of the 51,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan.

The alleged vandalism followed Woodland's arrest on July 6 on
charges of the June 29 rape in the parking lot of a shopping
center outside the Kadena base where he was stationed.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday Washington
would try to reduce both the size and the impact of its military
presence on Okinawa, but would not withdraw it completely.

Powell told reporters in Tokyo that while U.S. military
personnel were occasionally involved in incidents, on the whole
they met the highest standards of behavior, although he conceded
there was no excuse for any trouble.

Powell, who met with Prime Minister Koizumi during a stopover
on a whirlwind Asian tour, said ambassador Baker would visit
Okinawa in the next few days for talks with local government
officials.

A spokesman for the U.S. military command in Okinawa could not
be reached for comment.

But on Monday, Kadena Air Base commander Brigade General Gary
North met with Masakazu Nakasone, mayor of Okinawa City, and
expressed his concern over the alleged rape and vandalism.

North directed his officers to "re-emphasize expected
standards of behavior through commander's calls, briefings, and
new tools, such as video and multi media presentations," the U.S.
Air Force said in a statement issued Monday.

"We will continue to do whatever is possible to ensure our
members live up to the high standards we expect of them," North
said in the statement.

But the commander told Okinawan officials that the United
States would not support the creation of off-limits areas,
according to the Kyodo News agency.

"The vast majority of our service members are law-abiding,
contributing members of the community," North said in the
statement.

"We need local cooperation to prevent the misdeeds of the few
whose poor judgement does all of us a disservice," he said.

Powell and Koizumi agreed to discuss ways to improve
implementation of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) dealing
with US military personnel suspected of committing crimes in
Japan.

Under the agreement, U.S. commanders do not have to hand over
servicemen suspected of crimes until they are indicted by
Japanese prosecutors.