U.S. Hands Over Rape Suspect to Japan

July 6, 2001 8:06 am EST

By Kazunori Takada

TOKYO (Reuters) - The United States on Friday handed over to Japanese police a U.S. airman suspected of raping a young woman on the southern island of Okinawa, resolving a row that had threatened to fray their strategic alliance.

"We arrested the suspect immediately after he was handed over to us," an Okinawa police spokesman told Reuters.

The handover of the serviceman ends a row that had been simmering for a week, with local residents angered at the delay and Japanese cabinet ministers warning of potential damage to relations if the situation dragged on much longer.

Earlier, new U.S. Ambassador Howard Baker had announced Washington's decision to turn over to Japanese authorities the suspect in last Friday's alleged crime.

"My government is ready to transfer custody of Staff Sergeant Timothy Woodland prior to the indictment as requested by the Japanese government," he told reporters after a meeting with Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka.

It is only the second time U.S. forces in Japan have handed over a serviceman to Japanese investigators before formal charges have been filed.

"The U.S. government has considered this case seriously and regrets misconduct by U.S. servicemen," he said.

"In our discussion with the Japanese government, we have satisfied ourselves that our U.S. service member will receive fair and humane treatment throughout his custody."

The alleged rape of the woman in her 20s last Friday in Chatan follows a string of offences by U.S. forces on the southern island of Okinawa, reluctant host to the bulk of the U.S. military presence in Japan, and has fanned smoldering resentment among residents.

Japanese ire has also been mounting because of the U.S. delay over a decision on handing over Woodland. He has denied the accusations.

FAIR TREATMENT

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi praised the U.S.'s decision.

"This is a negotiated settlement based on the relationship of trust between Japan and the Unites States," he said. "The United States accepted Japan's demand."

Japanese officials said the decision had been stalled by a U.S. demand that an American interpreter be present when Woodland was questioned and that time limits be set on how long he could be interrogated. No American interpreter will be present.

"It is our responsibility to prove to the United States and the world that Japan's police and the administration of justice are fair," Foreign Minister Tanaka told reporters.

Woodland has not been charged, but under a pact governing the conduct of the U.S. military in Japan, a suspect can be handed over before an indictment in the case of a "heinous" crime.

The two sides agreed that such exceptions could be made after the 1995 rape of a Japanese school girl on Okinawa by three U.S. servicemen jolted the U.S.-Japan alliance.

Koizumi urged the United States to take steps to prevent similar incidents from occurring again.

"I want the United States to understand the feelings of the people of Okinawa," he told reporters.

CALLS FOR AGREEMENT REVISION

The delay on the handover has left lingering anger in Okinawa and rekindled calls to revise the Status of Forces Agreement.

"It's very regrettable," Okinawa Governor Keiichi Inamine said of the delay. "This has amplified the anger and unbearable irritation of the Okinawan people," he told reporters.

About 200 activists gathered in front of Kadena Air Base, where Woodland was based, to protest against the alleged rape and demand the withdrawal of U.S. military troops from Okinawa.

"It took too long. I never dreamed it would take so long," Chatan mayor Choichi Hentona said.

"We want the government to revise the SOFA agreement while taking the incident seriously and fully accepting opinions of Okinawa."

But government spokesman Yasuo Fukuda was more cautious.

"The current system is okay, but we should take steps to change it if needed," he said.

A Japanes Foreign Ministry official said implementation of the agreement should be improved to ensure speedy transfers, but stopped short of call for revisions.

Under current agreements, the United States need not hand over suspects until they are charged by Japanese prosecutors.

But ever since three servicemen raped a 12-year-old in 1995, Washington has agreed to consider requests in serious cases.

In July 1996, 20-year-old Terrence Swanson became the first serviceman to be handed over to Japanese authorities before indictment in a case of attempted murder of a local woman.

STRATEGIC ALLIANCE

Japanese leaders had pressed for the swift handover of the suspect, warning of potential damage to the strategic alliance at the forefront of Washington's Asian policy.

"It is quite natural to have him handed over," said Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said prior to the decision. "The emotions of people in Okinawa are running very high.

"This could create a difficult situation for the bases there," he said, adding he had conveyed these sentiments to U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz in a call on Thursday.

Okinawa's Inamine, aware of escalating local anger, has already called for a reduction in U.S. troop levels. Koizumi raised the issue in a summit on Saturday with President Bush, but analysts expect he will seek to avoid full-scale debate on the touchy matter.

[I wonder what the sentence is over there for this crime.]

-- Anonymous, July 06, 2001