Japanese police take custody of US sailor
Japanese police on Saturday arrested a US Navy sailor suspected of killing a Japanese woman near a US naval base in Yokosuka after the US Navy handed him over, reports said.
Earlier on Saturday a Japanese court issued a warrant for the arrest of the 21-year-old sailor, William Reese, who was in confinement on the US base at the mouth of Tokyo Bay after his name surfaced as a suspect, police said.
Shortly afterward, the US government agreed to transfer his custody to Japanese police, Kyodo News and Jiji Press said.
It was the first time that the US military had handed over a serviceman before Japanese police indicted a suspect in a murder case, Jiji said.
Reese’s arrest is expected to have deep implications for the case of four US Marines accused of raping a 22-year-old Filipina in Subic, Olongapo City, on November 1.
Police in Kanagawa Prefecture said Friday that the sailor, a black male crewman of the US aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, had admitted to killing 56-year-old Yoshie Sato near the base on Tuesday.
But Reese has yet to reveal his motive for the alleged crime, the Japanese semipublic broadcaster NHK reported.
Sato was found dead and bleeding from her head in the entrance to a building after apparently being attacked on her way to work in what may have been a robbery gone wrong, the local media said.
Under a US-Japanese accord, the US military is not required to hand over suspects unless they are charged.
But after the rape of a 12-year-old girl by three US Marines in Okinawa in southern Japan in 1995, which sparked a public outcry, Washington agreed to look favorably on requests for a transfer of custody in cases of serious crimes.
The US Navy had said it was offering its full cooperation to Japanese police.
But the case is likely to reignite controversy over the US military presence in Japan, as many communities are reluctant to continue hosting US bases, largely because of crimes committed by soldiers and noise pollution.
There was also a public outcry in November after Tokyo said it had agreed to host a nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier for the first time in Yokosuka, the electoral district of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
In Manila anti-American street protests were also mounted over the case of accused Marines Keith Silkwood, Chad Carpentier, Daniel Smith and Dominic Duplantis. Concerns were raised that the case could strain Philippine-US relations because the US Embassy has ignored requests from the Department of Foreign Affairs to hand over the four.
Under the Visiting Forces Agreement the Philippines maintains jurisdiction over US servicemen who violate Philippine laws, but they shall be in the custody of American authorities unless Manila requests a turnover.
Reacting to the arrest of Reese, House Deputy Minority Leader Satur C. Ocampo (Bayan Muna) on Saturday reissued his call to terminate the VFA and end renewed US military presence in the country.
“One rape is enough,” said Ocampo. “But the 5,000 US soldiers who are set to come to Mindanao for another round of supposed military exercises can engender more abuses and violations of Philippine laws.
“We can learn from Japan on how to assert our laws against American military violators. But we have more to learn from the 1991 debate, which resulted in the booting out of the US bases. As soon as the last US soldier exited Subic and Clark, the nation breathed a sigh of relief that no more US military crime like rape or political intervention could again be committed. This lesson was lost in the negotiation and approval of the VFA,” Ocampo said. (Manila Times)
Earlier on Saturday a Japanese court issued a warrant for the arrest of the 21-year-old sailor, William Reese, who was in confinement on the US base at the mouth of Tokyo Bay after his name surfaced as a suspect, police said.
Shortly afterward, the US government agreed to transfer his custody to Japanese police, Kyodo News and Jiji Press said.
It was the first time that the US military had handed over a serviceman before Japanese police indicted a suspect in a murder case, Jiji said.
Reese’s arrest is expected to have deep implications for the case of four US Marines accused of raping a 22-year-old Filipina in Subic, Olongapo City, on November 1.
Police in Kanagawa Prefecture said Friday that the sailor, a black male crewman of the US aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, had admitted to killing 56-year-old Yoshie Sato near the base on Tuesday.
But Reese has yet to reveal his motive for the alleged crime, the Japanese semipublic broadcaster NHK reported.
Sato was found dead and bleeding from her head in the entrance to a building after apparently being attacked on her way to work in what may have been a robbery gone wrong, the local media said.
Under a US-Japanese accord, the US military is not required to hand over suspects unless they are charged.
But after the rape of a 12-year-old girl by three US Marines in Okinawa in southern Japan in 1995, which sparked a public outcry, Washington agreed to look favorably on requests for a transfer of custody in cases of serious crimes.
The US Navy had said it was offering its full cooperation to Japanese police.
But the case is likely to reignite controversy over the US military presence in Japan, as many communities are reluctant to continue hosting US bases, largely because of crimes committed by soldiers and noise pollution.
There was also a public outcry in November after Tokyo said it had agreed to host a nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier for the first time in Yokosuka, the electoral district of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
In Manila anti-American street protests were also mounted over the case of accused Marines Keith Silkwood, Chad Carpentier, Daniel Smith and Dominic Duplantis. Concerns were raised that the case could strain Philippine-US relations because the US Embassy has ignored requests from the Department of Foreign Affairs to hand over the four.
Under the Visiting Forces Agreement the Philippines maintains jurisdiction over US servicemen who violate Philippine laws, but they shall be in the custody of American authorities unless Manila requests a turnover.
Reacting to the arrest of Reese, House Deputy Minority Leader Satur C. Ocampo (Bayan Muna) on Saturday reissued his call to terminate the VFA and end renewed US military presence in the country.
“One rape is enough,” said Ocampo. “But the 5,000 US soldiers who are set to come to Mindanao for another round of supposed military exercises can engender more abuses and violations of Philippine laws.
“We can learn from Japan on how to assert our laws against American military violators. But we have more to learn from the 1991 debate, which resulted in the booting out of the US bases. As soon as the last US soldier exited Subic and Clark, the nation breathed a sigh of relief that no more US military crime like rape or political intervention could again be committed. This lesson was lost in the negotiation and approval of the VFA,” Ocampo said. (Manila Times)
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