Okinawa incident to figure in Bush-Koizumi talks

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, JULY 19. It is a headache that the United States could have done without and is certainly one of the topics that the President, Mr. George W. Bush, will be discussing with the Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Junichiro Koizumi, at the sidelines of the Group of Eight meeting in Italy this week.

The U.S. airman suspected of raping a Japanese woman in Okinawa will be asking for release from custody pending trial. The Air Force Sergeant Timothy Woodland will be telling an Okinawa court that his detention is unnecessary as he has no intention of either leaving the country or is interested in destroying evidence.

Even as the United States military is not willing to comment on the course of events in Okinawa, Japanese authorities have been quoted as saying that Sgt. Woodland - whose passport is with American military officials - will be under house arrest, if he were to be released on bail.

The United States Ambassador to Japan, Mr. Howard Baker, has made the argument that Washington had done everything it could and acted with responsibility. But this is not how Japanese authorities have seen the developing events. In the first place, Tokyo believed that U.S. was dragging its feet in handing over the rape suspect for questioning. Sgt. Woodland has denied raping the Okinawan woman.

The Bush administration is further making the point that it acted responsibly and within the legal framework of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). After the 1995 rape of a 12- year-old school girl by three U.S. service personnel - that created a huge uproar all over Japan - Washington and Tokyo agreed that consideration could be given for handing over suspects prior to indictment where ``heinous'' crimes such as murder and rape are involved.

Where the U.S. and Japan have not seen eye-to-eye is in the immediate aftermath of the alleged rape. For several days the Pentagon and officials of the administration haggled over Sgt. Woodland. The reluctance on the part of Washington to hand over the accused serviceman stems from a perception that Sgt. Woodland will not be getting a fair shake from the Japanese police which are routinely accused of using heavy handed tactics to get confessions.

It is a headache in bilateral relations because it comes at a time when the Bush administration is seeking a higher profile for Japan in the Asia Pacific, some of it based on a feeling that the Clinton presidency had just about ignored Japan in the search of a constructive engagement with China. That apart, the Republican administration is actively seeking the support of allies and friends for the National Missile Defence system about which Tokyo is quite wary, to begin with.

Secondly, the charges of rape in Okinawa come at a time when there is a movement in that part of the country that American installations should be closed down. Okinawa accounts for almost 50 per cent of American military presence in Japan and about 25 per cent of the total U.S. involvement in the Asia- Pacific. The Pentagon has deemed that the bases and installations in Okinawa are critical to American interests and regional security.

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Section  : International
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