Airman Handed Over in Japan Rape Case

T O K Y O, July 6, 2001 -- 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.

Col. Daniel Smith with the Center for Defense Information in Washington said negotiations to protect Woodland's rights were intense.

"It seems that some rather intense negotiations were carried out between the U.S. embassy in Tokyo and Japanese authorities there as well as in Washington with the Japanese embassy to make sure that certain guarantees which exist in the U.S. court system are accorded to the accused U.S. Service member," Smith said. "Normally, a service member that has been accused of a crime such as this would not be handed over until there has been a formal indictment in the Japanese legal system.".

Frustrated With Americans

The decision comes just as local anger toward the American presence on the tiny Japanese island nears a boiling point.

On Thursday, the Okinawa prefectural assembly unanimously adopted a resolution demanding a review of the Status of Forces Agreement, under which active-duty military suspects generally remain underU.S. jurisdiction until they are formally charged.

"Even with a heinous crime such as this, the Americans use the pact as a shield to continue denying our requests for the suspect to be handed over," the resolution said.

The resolution echoed sentiments expressed by Okinawans on the street. They said they were disgusted at Washington's insistence that the serviceman's rights be respected before the rights of the 20-year-old Japanese victim.

On Thursday, Japanese officials made uncharacteristically strong statements about the situation, in light of their past reticence on Okinawa issues.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi urged action, telling reporters: "I hope that the United States will make an appropriate and proper decision soon."

Defense chief Gen Nakatani also warned of "an escalation of emotions" on Okinawa, and foreign minister Makiko Tanaka called U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell today to request a swift handover.

Protected by Denial

Woodland has been questioned by police in Okinawa every day since the alleged crime, but he remains under military custody on Kadena. Washington had refused to hand him over because he continued to deny the charges.

Japanese police say Woodland's handover would enable them speed up their investigation.

The only other time the U.S. military transferred a serviceman to Japanese custody prior to the filing of charges was in 1996, when an American was arrested and later convicted of attempted murdernear Nagasaki. He was convicted and sentenced to 13 years in prison.