Attorneys for Okinawa rape suspect
seek his release on bail
By Mark Oliva, Okinawa
bureau
Air Force Staff Sgt. Timothy B. Woodland’s attorneys say they
planned to petition the Naha District Court on Tuesday to have the airman released on
bail.
The 24-year-old Woodland has been charged with raping an Okinawan
woman June 29 in Chatan.
“If he’s released on bail, we’re offering he be held
at the Joint Forces Brig at Camp Hansen instead of being released to the custody of Kadena
Air Base,” said Annette Eddie-Callagain, one of his defense attorneys.
The prosecution had opposed Woodland’s pre-indictment release,
arguing he may try to coerce testimony from possible witnesses.
Defense attorneys expect the court’s decision in the next two to
three days.
The alleged rape — and two more-recent incidents — have
renewed calls for a reduction of U.S. troops on the island.
However, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told reporters in Japan
on Monday that the U.S. military presence on Okinawa is vital for the national security
for both nations.
“I don’t think it is possible to remove our presence from
Okinawa,” said Powell, who stopped in Japan during a tour of the Far East.
Powell said commanders take every measure to ensure troops on Okinawa
maintain strict discipline, but “there will be these occasional incidents.”
At last week’s G-8 Summit in Italy, Powell agreed to discuss the
present U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement with Japanese officials, but didn’t say
what changes he would consider.
Japanese politicians are pressing for a revision to the SOFA, citing
the four-day delay in handing Woodland over to Japanese police over the rape allegation as
a reason the current agreement doesn’t work. According to the SOFA, the U.S. military
isn’t required to hand over U.S. servicemembers suspected of committing crimes until
an indictment is issued, but agreed after 1995 to give special consideration to serious
and heinous crimes.
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi does not favor revising the
SOFA, but favors taking measures to make the current agreement work more efficiently.
The Associated Press and Chiyomi Sumida contributed to
this report.
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