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United States Agrees to Turn Over Sergeant
The Bush administration has agreed to Japan's demands that it turn over an Air Force sergeant suspected of raping a Japanese woman in Okinawa, a U.S. official said Thursday. U.S. Ambassador to Japan Howard Baker was to inform Japanese authorities of the decision on Friday.
The actual transfer of the sergeant to Japanese custody was to take place a short time later, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The U.S. agreement to turn over the suspect, identified by Japanese authorities as Air Force Sgt. Timothy Woodland, had been delayed several days as U.S. officials sought assurances that he would have legal representation and an interpreter while in custody.
A senior State Department official said the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo was authorized to tell the Japanese at a meeting Friday that the sergeant will be transferred to Japanese custody.
The suspect, stationed at Kadena Air Base, is accused of raping a 20-year-old Okinawan woman June 29 in a parking lot outside a row of trendy bars in Chatan town.
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