TOKYO — Okinawa Gov. Genta Koja said on Monday, Nov. 9, that he will request a review of the agreement governing U.S. forces in Japan, following a murder allegedly committed by a U.S. Marine, CBS News reported. “I’ll call for a fundamental review of the SOFA,” Koja said at a news conference in Tokyo.
Related: Japan and U.S. expand Okinawa patrols after Marine murder indictment.
The case behind the request
Prosecutors indicted a Marine last month on suspicion of murdering a 39-year-old Japanese woman at a hotel in Naha, CBS News said. He has denied the allegations, according to Japanese media, and is presumed innocent.
What Koja wants
Koja said a review should include prompt compliance with Japanese requests to transfer suspects before indictment and the application of Japanese laws such as the Aviation Act to the U.S. military. He also said he will seek the swift return of land used by the U.S. military in Okinawa’s commercial center under a 2013 agreement.
Okinawa lawmakers adopted a resolution last month seeking revisions to the pact, which will soon go to the U.S. embassy, according to CBS News.
Why the pact is contested
Under the 1960 Status of Forces Agreement, U.S. military authorities have the primary right to investigate and punish service members who are on official duty. Critics say this has sometimes blocked indictments by Japanese investigators and made U.S. bases virtually extraterritorial.
Koja, elected in September, is the first Okinawa governor in 12 years to approve a contested plan to move the Marine Corps’ Futenma air base to a less populated location on the island.
What happens next
Any change to the pact would need agreement between Tokyo and Washington. More is on our Asia-Pacific page.
Sources
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