Airman Handed Over in Japan Rape Case
T O K Y O, July 6 -- A U.S. Air Force sergeant suspected of raping a young Japanese woman on Okinawa last week has been handed over to Japanese authorities.
Okinawa police believe that Timothy Woodland, a 24-year-old staff sergeant stationed at Okinawa's Kadena Air Base raped a local woman in her 20s in a parking lot of a tourist area last week. Woodland denied the allegations.
If charged, Woodland would face a trial in the Japanese court system. If convicted, he would have to serve several years in a Japanese prison.
After a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka, U.S. Ambassador Howard Baker said the decision to put Staff Sgt. Timothy Woodland in Japanese custody was made after "careful consideration" of the facts. Baker said further details of the handover will be discussed at a later time.
"I have conveyed information to my government that we are prepared to transfer custody of … Woodland prior to indictment as requested by the Japanese government on July 2," Baker said during a news conference. "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."
Intense Negotiations
Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. Craig Quigley explained on Thursday the United States had delayed the handover to seek assurances of the suspect's legal rights in Japanese custody.
Legal privileges to criminal suspects are different in Japan than in the U.S. For example, when Japanese police interrogate people, usually there is no lawyer present. The other thing that worried U.S. officials is that they wanted to make sure an interpreter was a member of the U.S. military was also present.
The Japanese police wanted to use their own interpreter.
"We very clearly understand the desire of the Japanese government to transfer custody," Quigley said. "We just need to have a very clear understanding of the conditions under which we would agree to something like that," he said.
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