Tuesday, February 27, 2001

By David Allen
Okinawa bureau chief

NAHA — Japan Foreign Minister Yohei Kono on Sunday called for the U.S. military on Okinawa to increase its efforts to reduce crimes by servicemembers.

In a one-day whirlwind visit with U.S. and Okinawa leaders, Kono tried to salve the wounds in community relations caused by several highly publicized incidents — including a derogatory comment by the island’s top U.S. general about Okinawa officials.

Okinawa officials have been incensed over a series of incidents culminating in the arrest last week of a Marine lance corporal charged with burning down a row of bars in Chatan, near Camp Foster, in January.

A delay in handing over the suspect to Japanese police sparked calls for changing the Status of Forces Agreement and renewed demands for a reduction of the number of Marines stationed on the island.

Kono met with Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine, who said he was "losing patience" with the massive U.S. presence on the island.

More than half of the 47,000 U.S. troops in Japan are based on Okinawa, which has less than one percent of the country’s landmass. About 75 percent of the land used for U.S. bases in Japan is on Okinawa, covering 20 percent of the island.

"We have been reserved about demanding a reduction of the Marines and other U.S. military forces," Inamine told Kono, according to Japanese news reports. "But we can no longer bear it. Our patience is running out."

Kono repeated that the issue was "not that simple."

"You can’t just demand it because you no longer want to have them," he said. "There may be the impression in the back of your minds that the situation on the Korean Peninsula is improving. But nothing has happened yet.

"Regarding the international situation, we need a thorough dialogue with the United States."

However, Kono said there may be some room to negotiate a change in the way suspects are turned over to Japanese police.

The current SOFA stipulates U.S. servicemembers charged with Japanese crimes remain in military custody until they are indicted, unless they are originally arrested by Japanese police or are charged with rape or murder. Kono said the provision could be tweaked to include other serious felonies without making any major changes to the bilateral agreement.

U.S. military officials have said they are striving to ensure every servicemember realizes the importance of being "good neighbors." But relations were strained last month when Lt. Gen. Earl Hailston, the top Marine on the island, sent an e-mail to his commanders demanding they rein in their troops.

In his reaction to the prefectural assembly’s call for reducing the number of Marines here, Hailston called Okinawa officials "nuts and a bunch of wimps." The message was leaked to the local press.

On Sunday, Kono met briefly with Brig. Gen. Willie Williams, commander of Marine Corps Bases on Okinawa.

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